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Background Numerous quantitatively based studies measuring the accuracy of MRI and MRA for the diagnosis of rotator cuff tears remain inconclusive. In order to compare the accuracy of MRI with MRA in detection of rotator cuff tears a meta-analysis was performed systematically. Methods PubMed/Medline and Embase were utilized to retrieve articles comparing the diagnostic performance of MRI and MRA for use in detecting rotator cuff tears. After screening and diluting out the articles that met inclusion criteria to be used for statistical analysis the pooled evaluation indexes including sensitivity and specificity as well as hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curves with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Results Screening determined that 12 studies involving a total of 1030 patients and 1032 shoulders were deemed viable for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The results of the analysis showed that MRA has a higher sensitivity and specificity than MRI for the detection of any tear; similar results were observed in the detection of full-thickness tears. However, for the detection of partial-thickness tear, MRI has similar performance with MRA. Conclusion MRI is recommended to be a first-choice imaging modality for the detection of rotator cuff tears. Although MRA have a higher sensitivity and specificity, it cannot replace MRI after the comprehensive consideration of accuracy and practicality.

Background: To investigate the value of positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (CT) using fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18-FDG) in the diagnosis, staging, restaging and recurrence monitoring of Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFTs), a meta-analysis was performed through systematically searching PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central library to retrieve articles. Methods: After screening and diluting out the articles that met inclusion criteria to be used for statistical analysis the pooled evaluation indexes including sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odd ratio (DOR) as well as the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) were calculated involving diagnostic data (true positive, false positive, false negative, and true negative) extracted from original studies. Results: Screening determined that out of 2007, 23 studies involving a total of 524 patients were deemed viable for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The results of the analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity were at 86% and 80%, respectively. Additionally, a satisfactory accuracy of F-18-FDG PET and PET/CT was observed in detecting ESFT recurrence, lung metastasis, and osseous metastasis. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that F-18-FDG PET and PET/CT with an extremely high accuracy could be considered a valuable method for detecting distant metastasis and post-operational recurrence of ESFT, which might have a profound impact on the development of treatment protocols for ESFT.

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for failure of limb salvage surgery in grade IIIC lower extremity injuries.A single-institution, retrospective review was performed of all patients with grade IIIC lower limb injuries presenting from January 2009 to April 2014. We gathered the data on each patient who underwent limb salvage and analyzed the final outcome for these patients (limb salvage vs secondary amputation).Grade IIIC lower limb injuries were identified in 41 patients. Primary amputation was performed in 6 patients (15%) as the initial procedure. Thirty-five patients (85%) underwent vascular reconstruction and other surgical procedures to salvage the limb. Limb salvage was successful in 23 patients (66%); 12 patients (34%) ultimately underwent secondary amputation. The median time from injury to secondary amputation was 22.5 days (range 4-380 days). The mean Mangled Extremity Severity Score (MESS) was 7.2 ± 1.5 (range 5-10). The MESS was significantly higher in the secondary amputation group compared with the limb salvage group. Additionally, statistical testing revealed that the limb ischemia time, complex fractures, rate of fasciotomy, and number of vascular reconstruction were significantly higher in the secondary amputation group. Muscle necrosis and extensive soft tissue defect were the main reasons for secondary amputation.The findings indicate that MESS of 7 or greater, complex fractures, limb ischemia time equal to or greater than 6 hours, and osteofascial compartment syndrome were associated with an increased risk of delayed amputation. The MESS is highly prognostic but not perfect; decision-making in patients with an MESS of 7 or greater should be re-evaluated for clinical use.

Numerous original clinical studies have attempted to investigate the prognostic value of HER-2 overexpression in osteosarcoma, but the results of these studies are not consistent. This meta-analysis and systematic review was performed to further assess the correlation between HER-2 expression and prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma. A detailed search of relevant publications was conducted using 7 electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane library, the Wanfang database, the China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) database, the Chinese VIP database, and the Chinese Biological Medical (CBM) Database for publications through August 1, 2015, using the following keywords (HER-2 OR ErbB-2 OR C-erbB-2 OR neu) AND (osteosarcoma OR osteogenic tumor). The bibliographies of potentially relevant articles and identified articles were then searched by hand. Eligible studies were those that enrolled participants with osteosarcoma and provided survival outcome in HER-2 positive and negative groups. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each individual study was calculated and pooled to obtain integrated estimates, using random effects modeling. Sixteen studies involving 934 participants with osteosarcoma met our inclusion criteria. HER-2 overexpression was documented in 42.2% of patients with osteosarcoma. Compared with patients without HER-2 overexpression, those overexpressing HER-2 had decreased overall survival (HR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.36-3.03, P < 0.001). Statistical associations between HER-2 overexpression and unfavorable overall survival (OS) were observed for both biopsy and surgical removal specimens (HR = 2.07, 95%CI: 1.16-3.72, P = 0.014; and HR = 2.02, 95%CI: 1.10-3.71, P = 0.024). Results for disease-free survival (DFS) were similar. Overexpression of HER-2 is significantly associated with poor outcome for patients with osteosarcoma and should be assessed at diagnosis and after surgery as a prognostic factor. However, larger-scale multicenter clinical studies are needed to further support these findings.

Although a serious of meta-analyses have been published to compare the effects of internal versus external fixation (IF vs EF) for treating distal radial fractures (DRF), no consensus was obtained.B y performing a systematic review of overlapping meta-analyses comparing IF versus EF for the treatment of distal radial fractures, we attempted to evaluate the methodology and reporting quality of these meta-analyses, interpret the source of discordant results, and therefore determine the dominant strategy for the treatment of distal radial fractures based on the best evidence currently. An electronic databases search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane library to retrieve meta-analyses comparing IF versus EF for treating DRF. Reference lists of relevant literatures were also screened manually to retrieve additional ones. Two investigators independently assessed the eligibility of retrieved articles using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. All characteristics as well as outcome variables including functional outcomes, range of motion, radiological results, and complication rates with relevant heterogeneity information presented in each included study were extracted. Heterogeneity was thought to be significant when I² > 50%. We adopted the Oxford Levels of Evidence and the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) Instrument to assess the methodological quality of every included study, and applied the Jadad decision algorithm to select studies with more likely reliable conclusions. A total of 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. The AMSTAR scores ranged from 5 to 9 with a median of 7.75. Following the Jadad algorithm, the meta-analyses with most reliable results can be selected based on the search strategies and application of selection. Finally, 2 meta-analyses with most RCTs and highest AMSTAR scores were selected in this systematic review of overlapping meta-analysis. The best available evidence suggested that compared with EF, IF was significantly associated with lower Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores, better rehabilitation of volar tilt and radial inclination, and lower infection rate at 1-year follow-up. Therefore, we could conclude that internal fixation is superior to external fixations for the treatment of distal radial fractures.

While uncommon, post-traumatic pelvic malunions present reconstructive challenges and are associated with significant disability and financial burden. A transiliac osteotomy is a surgical technique useful to correct certain types of pelvic fracture malunions, and is only used when the correction of a limb-length discrepancy is the primary goal. This study aims to present our experience with this technique in the treatment of post-traumatic pelvic malunions. Eight patients who underwent transiliac osteotomies for post-traumatic pelvic malunions at our department from 2006 to 2011 were included in this study. We reviewed the clinical and radiographic results of these patients. By the time of their last follow-up, all osteotomy sites and iliac bone graft had healed with no evidence of internal fixation failure. Of the 3 patients who complained of preoperative posterior pain, 2 reported an improvement. All 8 patients noted the resolution of their lower back pain. At the time of their final follow-up, 4 patients could walk normally, 2 had a slight limp without a cane, 1 patient used a cane to help with standing and walking, and the final felt limited during ambulation with a cane. Limb-lengthening relative to preoperative measurements was 2.86 cm (2.2-3.0 cm) at the time of the last follow-up. Two patients were able to return to their previous jobs, 4 patients changed their jobs or engaged in light manual labor while the final 2 were able to perform activities of daily living but were unable to participate in work or labor. Three patients reported being "extremely satisfied" with their outcomes, 3 were "satisfied," and 2 were "unsatisfied." A transiliac osteotomy can be used to manage selected cases of post-traumatic pelvic malunions that are unable to be corrected with a traditional release and osteotomy. However, in these cases the correction of limb-length discrepancies should be the primary reconstructive goal.

To investigate the performance of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis, staging, restaging, and recurrence surveillance of bone sarcoma by systematically reviewing and meta-analyzing the published literature. To retrieve eligible studies, we searched the MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central library databases using combinations of following Keywords: “positron emission tomography” or “PET,” and “bone tumor” or “bone sarcoma” or “sarcoma.” Bibliographies from relevant articles were also screened manually. Data were extracted and the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), on an examination-based or lesion-based level, were calculated to appraise the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT. All statistical analyses were performed using Meta-Disc 1.4. Forty-two trials were eligible. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT to differentiate primary bone sarcomas from benign lesions were 96% (95% confidence interval [CI], 93–98) and 79% (95% CI, 63–90), respectively. For detecting recurrence, the pooled results on an examination-based level were sensitivity 92% (95% CI, 85–97), specificity 93% (95% CI, 88–96), positive likelihood ratio (PLR) 10.26 (95% CI, 5.99–17.60), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) 0.11 (95% CI, 0.05–0.22). For detecting distant metastasis, the pooled results on a lesion-based level were sensitivity 90% (95% CI, 86–93), specificity 85% (95% CI, 81–87), PLR 5.16 (95% CI, 2.37–11.25), and NLR 0.15 (95% CI, 0.11–0.20). The accuracies of PET/CT for detecting local recurrence, lung metastasis, and bone metastasis were satisfactory. Pooled outcome estimates of 18F-FDG PET were less complete compared with those of PET/CT. 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT showed a high sensitivity for diagnosing primary bone sarcoma. Moreover, PET/CT demonstrated excellent accuracy for the staging, restaging, and recurrence surveillance of bone sarcoma. However, to avoid misdiagnosis, pathological examination or long-term follow-up should be carried out for 18F-FDG-avid lesions in patients with suspected bone sarcoma.