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Study design Survey of spine surgeons and biomechanical comparison of screw pullout forces. Objective To investigate what may be a suboptimal practice regularly occurring in spine surgery. Summary of background data In order for a tap to function in its intended manner, the pitch of the tap should be the same as the pitch of the screw. Undertapping has been shown to increase the pullout force of pedicle screws compared with line-to-line tapping. However, given the way current commercial lumbar pedicle screw systems are designed, undertapping may result in a tap being used that has a different pitch from that of the screw (incongruent pitch). Methods A survey asked participants questions to estimate the proportion of cases each participant performed in the prior year using various hole preparation techniques. Participant responses were interpreted in the context of manufacturing specifications of specific instrumentation systems. Screw pullout forces were compared between undertapping with incongruent pitch and undertapping with congruent pitch using 0.16 g/cm polyurethane foam block and 6.5-mm screws. Results Of the 3679 cases in which participants reported tapping, participants reported line-to-line tapping in 209 cases (5%), undertapping with incongruent pitch in 1156 cases (32%), and undertapping with congruent pitch in 2314 cases (63%). The mean pullout force for undertapping with incongruent pitch was 56 N (8%) less than the mean pullout force for undertapping with congruent pitch. This is equivalent to 13 lb. Conclusion This study estimates that for about 1 out of every 3 surgical cases with tapping of lumbar pedicle screws in the United States, hole preparation is being performed by undertapping with incongruent pitch. This study also shows that undertapping with incongruent pitch results in a decrease in pullout force by 8% compared with undertapping with congruent pitch. Steps should be taken to correct this suboptimal practice. Level of evidence 3.

A cohort of adult acquired flatfoot deformity rigid-body models was developed to investigate the effects of isolated tendon transfer with successive levels of medializing calcaneal osteotomy (MCO). Following IRB approval, six diagnosed flatfoot sufferers were subjected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their scans used to derive patient-specific models. Single-leg stance was modeled, constrained solely through physiologic joint contact, passive soft-tissue tension, extrinsic muscle force, body weight, and without assumptions of idealized mechanical joints. Surgical effect was quantified using simulated mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) X-rays, pedobarography, soft-tissue strains, and joint contact force. Radiographic changes varied across states with the largest average improvements for the tendon transfer (TT) + 10 mm MCO state evidenced through ML and AP talo-1st metatarsal angles. Interestingly, 12 of 14 measures showed increased deformity following TT-only, though all increases disappeared with inclusion of MCO. Plantar force distributions showed medial forefoot offloading concomitant with increases laterally such that the most corrected state had 9.0% greater lateral load. Predicted alterations in spring, deltoid, and plantar fascia soft-tissue strain agreed with prior cadaveric and computational works suggesting decreased strain medially with successive surgical repair. Finally, joint contact force demonstrated consistent medial offloading concomitant with variable increases laterally. Rigid-body modeling thus offers novel advantages for the investigation of foot/ankle biomechanics not easily measured in vivo.

Following IRB approval, a cohort of 3-D rigid-body computational models was created from submillimeter MRIs of clinically diagnosed Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity patients and employed to investigate postoperative foot/ankle function and surgical effect during single-leg stance. Models were constrained through physiologic joint contact, passive soft-tissue tension, active muscle force, full body weight, and without idealized joints. Models were validated against patient-matched controls using clinically utilized radiographic angle and distance measures and plantar force distributions in the medial forefoot, lateral forefoot, and hindfoot. Each model further predicted changes in strain for the spring ligament, deltoid ligament, and plantar fascia, as well as joint contact loads for three midfoot joints, the talonavicular, navicular-1st cuneiform, and calcaneocuboid. Radiographic agreement ranged across measures, with average absolute deviations of

Background context Traditional reconstruction for burst fractures involves columnar support with posterior fixation at one or two levels cephalad/caudad; however, some surgeons choose to only stabilize the vertebral column. Purpose The aim was to distinguish biomechanical differences in stability between a burst fracture stabilized through a lateral approach using corpectomy spacers of different end plate sizes with and without integrated screws and with and without posterior fixation. Study design/Setting This was an in vitro biomechanical study assessing thoracolumbar burst fracture stabilization. Methods Six human spines (T11–L3) were tested on a six-degrees-of-freedom simulator enabling unconstrained range of motion (ROM) at ±6 N·m in flexion-extension (FE), lateral bending (LB), and axial rotation (AR) after a simulated burst fracture at L1. Expandable corpectomy spacers with/without integrated screws (Fi/F; FORTIFY Integrated/FORTIFY; Globus Medical, Inc., Audubon, PA, USA) were tested with different end plate sizes (21×23 mm, 22×40–50 mm). Posterior instrumentation (PI) via bilateral pedicle screws and rods was used one level above and one level below the burst fracture. Lateral plate (LP) fixation was tested. Devices were tested in the following order: intact; Fi 21×23 ; Fi 21×23 +PI; F 21×23 +PI+LP; F 21×23 +LP; F 22×40–50 +LP; F 22×40–50 +PI+LP; Fi 22×40–50 +PI; Fi 22×40–50 . Results In FE and AR, constructs without PI showed no significant difference (p 22×40–50 +LP showed a significant increase in stability relative to intact, but no other construct without PI reached significance. In FE and LB, circumferential constructs were significantly more stable than intact. In AR, no construct showed significant differences in motion when compared with the intact condition. Conclusions Constructs without posterior fixation were the least stable of all tested constructs. Circumferential fixation provided greater stability in FE and LB than lateral fixation and intact. Axial rotation showed no significant differences in any construct compared with the intact state.

Adult acquired flatfoot deformity is a degenerative disease causing medial arch dysfunction. Surgical correction has typically involved tendon reconstruction with calcaneal osteotomy; however, the postoperative changes have not been fully characterized. The present study assessed the success of surgical correction of Stage IIb adult acquired flatfoot deformity through changes in plantar pressures and patient-generated outcome scores. With Institutional Review Board approval, 6 participants were evaluated before and after surgery using pedobarography, the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score, and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form questionnaire. The plantar pressures were recorded using a TekScan HRMat during walking and in a 1- and 2-foot stance. The resulting contour maps were segmented into 9 regions, with the peak pressure, normalized force, and arch index calculated. Surgical effects were analyzed using paired t tests. Postoperatively, the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score and Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form questionnaire scores increased significantly from 180 � 78 to 360 � 136 (p < .03) and 47 � 18 to 71 � 19 (p ¼ .06), respectively. During the 2-foot stance, the normalized force had increased significantly in the lateral midfoot (p < .03), although no significant differences were found in peak pressures. No significant differences were observed in the 1-foot stance. During walking, the normalized force increased significantly in the lateral midand forefoot (p < .05). The peak pressure increased significantly in the lateral forefoot (p < .01). The arch index values demonstrated no significant changes. The increased questionnaire scores indicated that surgical correction improved the self-perceived health of the participants. Lateral shifts in the peak pressure and normalized force suggest that forefoot and midfoot loading is altered postoperatively, consistent with the goal of offloading the dysfunctional arch. Thus, the present study has demonstrated that surgical treatment of adult acquired flatfoot deformity can be accurately assessed using patient-reported outcome measures and plantar pressures.

Adult acquired flatfoot deformity (AAFD) is a degenerative disease resulting in malalignment of the mid- and hindfoot secondary to posterior tibial tendon dysfunction and increasing implication of ligament pathologies. Despite the complex 3D nature of AAFD, 2D radiographs are still employed to diagnose and stage the disease. Computer modeling techniques allow for accurate 3D recreations of musculoskeletal systems for the investigation of biomechanical factors contributing to disease. Following Institutional Review Board approval, the lower limbs of six diagnosed AAFD sufferers were imaged with MRI, photographs, and X-ray. Next, a radiologist graded the MRI attenuation of eight soft-tissues implicated in AAFD. Six patient-specific rigid-body models were then created and loaded according to patient weight, graded soft-tissues, and extrinsic muscles. Model function was validated using clinically relevant kinematic measures in three planes. Agreement varied depending on the measure, with average absolute deviations of7° for angles and4 mm for distances. Additionally, the clinically favored AP talonavicular coverage angle, ML talo-1st metatarsal angle, and ML 1st cuneiform height showed strong correlations of R(2) = 0.63, 0.75, and 0.85, respectively. Thus, computer modeling offers a promising methodology for the non-invasive investigation of in vivo kinematic behavior in pathologic feet and, once validated, may further be used to investigate biomechanical parameters that are difficult to measure clinically.