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Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair can be performed with the patient in the beach-chair or lateral decubitus position. Patient positioning in shoulder arthroscopy is a critical step in surgical preparation and remains a debated topic. The lateral decubitus position is a reliable, safe, and effective position in which to perform nearly all types of shoulder arthroscopic procedures. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe our preferred technique for performing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with the patient in the lateral decubitus position, which portends several advantages, such as improved visualization of the glenohumeral space, ergonomic positioning, a low risk of cerebral hypoperfusion, and a shorter operating time.

In young athletes, an association exists between an increased posterior tibial slope (PTS) and the risk of primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, ACL graft rupture, contralateral ACL injury, and inferior patient reported outcomes after ACL reconstruction. In spite of this, there is no consensus on the optimal measurement method for PTS in pediatric patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of previously described radiographic PTS measurement techniques.A retrospective review was performed on 130 patients with uninjured knees between the ages of 6 and 18 years. The medial PTS was measured on lateral knee radiographs by four blinded reviewers using three previously described methods: the anterior tibial cortex (ATC), posterior tibial cortex (PTC), and the proximal tibia anatomic axis (PTAA). The radiographs were graded by each reviewer twice, performed 2 weeks apart. The intrarater and inter-rater reliability were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Subgroup analyses were then performed stratifying by patient age and sex.The mean PTS were significantly different based on measurement method: 12.5 degrees [confidence interval (CI): 12.2-12.9 degrees] for ATC, 7.6 degrees (CI: 7.3-7.9 degrees) for PTC, and 9.3 degrees (CI: 9.0-9.6 degrees) for PTAA (P0.0001). Measures of intrarater reliability was excellent among all reviewers across all 3 methods of measuring the PTS with a mean ICC of 0.87 (range: 0.82 to 0.92) for ATC, 0.83 (range: 0.82 to 0.87) for PTC, and 0.88 (range: 0.79 to 0.92) for PTAA. The inter-rater reliability was good with a mean ICC of 0.69 (range: 0.62 to 0.83) for the ATC, 0.63 (range: 0.52 to 0.83) for the PTC, and 0.62 (range: 0.37 to 0.84) for the PTAA. Using PTAA referencing, the PTS was greater for older patients: 9.9 degrees (CI: 7.7-9.4 degrees) vs 8.5 degrees (CI: 9.2-10.7 degrees) (P=0.0157) and unaffected by sex: 9.5 degrees (CI: 8.8-10.1 degrees) for females and 9.0 degrees (CI: 8.0-10.0) for males (P=0.4199). There were no major differences in intrarater or inter-rater reliability based on age or sex.While the absolute PTS value varies by measurement technique, all methods demonstrated an intrarater reliability of 0.83 to 0.88 and inter-rater reliability of 0.61 to 0.69. However, this study highlights the need to identify PTS metrics in children with increased inter-rater reliability.IV, Case series.

Background:Open physes and trochlear/notch geometries in pediatric patients limit the safe corridor for femoral interference screw graft fixation during medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction. Accordingly, interest is increasing in anchor-based fixation, but biomechanical validation is deficient.Purpose:To compare anchor-based and tenodesis screw femoral fixation of MPFL grafts in a time-zero biomechanical model.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Twenty-seven fresh-frozen porcine distal femurs were potted for testing in an electromechanical load frame, while bovine tendons were used for MPFL grafts. Reconstructions were performed with 1 of 3 femoral fixation strategies: 4.5-mm biocomposite double-loaded threaded anchor (DLA group), 3.9-mm biocomposite knotless threaded anchor (KA group), or traditional 7 × 23–mm biocomposite tenodesis screw (TS group). For testing, femoral specimens were oriented and secured in the mechanical testing apparatus such that actuator tensile pull re-created the normal MPFL trajectory. Specimens underwent 10 cycles of 5- to 15-N loading at 1-Hz preconditioning, followed by 1000 cycles of 10- to 50 N-loading at 1 Hz. After cyclic loading, all specimens were loaded to failure at 305 mm/min. The average cyclic construct stiffness, displacement, and load-to-failure data between the 3 groups were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the significance level set at P < .05.Results:Average cyclic construct stiffnesses were comparable across groups per repeated-measures ANOVA analysis: 68.3 ± 6.3, 71.4 ± 6.4, and 74.3 ± 7.9 N/mm for TS, DLA, and KA groups, respectively (at cycle 1000). Average construct displacements at cycles 100 and 1000 were significantly less in the anchor versus tenodesis screw groups per ANOVA and Tukey post hoc analysis: 7.7 ± 4.2 mm for the TS group versus 3.7 ± 0.4 and 4.3 ± 0.6 mm for the DLA and KA groups, respectively (at cycle 1000). There was no significant difference in ultimate failure loads between the anchor and tenodesis screw groups, but 3 of 9 TS constructs failed at loads below the average failure load of the native MPFL.Conclusion:Compared with the tenodesis group, anchor-based fixation produced constructs with equivalent cyclic stiffnesses, improved load-displacement characteristics, and had less failure load variability in the porcine cadaveric model.Clinical Relevance:Femoral fixation of the MPFL graft with a single anchor (4.5 or 3.9 mm threaded) is a viable alternative to traditional tenodesis screw fixation.

There are multiple techniques to treat tendon defects in the event end-to-end repair cannot be achieved after débridement. In general, the choice of treatment technique is based on size of the resultant gap. Although each treatment technique has literature to support its use, there are no data to support the use of one technique over another. Treatment should be based on the experience and discretion of the treating surgeon. This article proposes an algorithm for wound breakdown, infection, and rerupture after Achilles tendon surgery. This algorithm should be used as a guide.

Objectives: The objective of our study is to determine whether the addition of 3-dimensional (3D) MRI to standard MRI sequences is comparable to 3D CT scan evaluation of glenoid and humeral bone loss in glenohumeral instability. There is increasing understanding of the importance of the glenoid, as well as humeral bone loss in outcomes and surgical decision making in patients with shoulder instability. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is performed as standard of care for soft tissue evaluation of shoulder instability, CT scan remains the gold standard in bony measurements. Standard MRI evaluation has been shown to inaccurately measure bone loss. However, additional CT scans result in increased financial, time, and ionizing radiation cost to the patient. Methods: Eighteen patients who presented with glenohumeral instability were prospectively enrolled and received both MRI and CT within 1 week of each other. The MRI included an additional sequence (VIBE) which underwent post-processing for reformations (Figure 1a). The addition of a VIBE protocol, on average is an addition 4 to 4.5minutes in the scanner. CT data also underwent 3D post-processing (Figure 1b) and therefore each patient had four imaging modalities (2D CT, 2D MRI, 3D CT reformats, and 3D MRI reformats). Each sequence underwent the following measurements from two separate reviewers: glenoid defect, glenoid defect percent, humeral defect, humeral defect percentage (Figure 2a and 2b), and evaluation of glenoid track and version. Paired t-tests were used to assess differences between imaging modalities and chi squared for glenoid track. Intra-observer and inter-observer reliability were evaluated. Bland-Altman tests were also performed to assess the agreement between CT and MRI. In addition, we determined cost of each imaging modality at our single institution. Results: 3D MRI measurements for glenoid and humeral bone loss measurements were comparable to 3D CT (Table 1). There were no significant differences for glenoid defect size and percentage, or humeral defect size and percentage (P>0.05) (Table 2). Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated strong agreement with small measurement errors for 3D CT and 3D MRI percentage glenoid bone loss. There was also no difference in evaluation for determining on vs off track between any of the imaging modalities. Inter- and intra-rater reliability was good to excellent for all CT and MRI measurements (r >= 0.7). Conclusions: 3D MRI measurements for bone loss in glenohumeral instability through utilization of VIBE sequence were equivalent to 3D CT. At our institution, the costs of MRI with 3D reconstruction was 1.67x cheaper than MRI and CT with 3D reconstructions. 3D MRI may be a useful adjuvant to standard MRI sequences to allow concurrent soft tissue and accurate assessment of glenoid and humeral bone loss in glenohumeral instability. [Figure: see text][Figure: see text][Table: see text][Table: see text]

Posterior labral pathology is common in contact athletes; however, posterior glenoid avulsion fractures, also known as posterior bony Bankart lesions, are less common. Posterior instability affects approximately 10% of all patients with shoulder instability. Diagnosis in these high-risk individuals often follows a traumatic posterior dislocation. The patient feels grossly unstable but may or may not have recurrent dislocations beyond the initial trauma. Surgical correction and favorable surgical outcomes require a full understanding of both the soft-tissue and bony components of the injury. Stable osseous fixation is required to restore appropriate glenoid version, depth, and to prevent malunion. We present a technique to mobilize and stabilize a posterior bony Bankart lesion with a knotless suture bridge construct. We feel that this technique is reliable and reproducible and allows for a superior quality of fragment reduction when compared with systems using larger anchors and knotted systems., Technique Video Video 1 Repair of acute and chronic posterior bony Bankart fragments can reproducibly and reliably be anatomically reduced through the use of a modified arthroscopic technique using a tensionable, knotless anchor system.

Category: Hindfoot; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Subtalar distraction arthrodesis (SDA) was developed as a means of treating the symptoms of subtalar arthritis. Despite almost 30 years of research in this field, many controversies still exist regarding SDA. The objectives of this study were (1) to conduct a systematic review of clinical outcomes following SDA, (2) to assess the demographics, indications, and surgical technique used, (3) to assess the clinical and radiographic outcomes of this procedure and its role in improving function, (4) to provide treatment recommendations based on the best available literature, and (5) to identify knowledge deficits that require further investigation. Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE were queried with an end date of January 1, 2018 using the keywords The keywords used for this search included ‘‘subtalar,’’ ‘‘talar,’’ ‘‘talus,’’ ‘‘bone,’’ ‘‘block,’’ ‘distraction,’ ‘arthrodesis,’ ‘fusion,’ ‘arthritis,’ ‘arthrosis,’ ‘calcaneus,’ ‘calcaneal,’ ‘fracture,’ ‘malunion,’ ‘deformity,’ and ‘‘clinical outcome,’’ alone and in various combinations using the Boolean operator ‘‘AND.’’ Data abstraction was performed by two independent reviewers. Inclusion criteria for the articles were (1) English language, (2) peer-reviewed clinical studies with evidence levels I to IV, (3) with at least five patients, (4) reporting clinical and/or radiographic outcomes of SDA. Data collected included: demographics, operative techniques, radiographic measures, clinical and functional outcomes, and complications. The level of evidence for each study was assessed according to the method described by Wright et al. Methods followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Results: Twenty-five studies matched the inclusion criteria (2 Level III and 23 Level IV studies) including 492 feet in 467 patients. The most common indication for SDA was late complications of calcaneus fractures. Many different operative techniques have been described, and there is no proven superiority of one method over the other. The most commonly reported complications were nonunion, hardware prominence, wound complications, and sural neuralgia. All studies showed both radiographic and clinical improvement at the last follow-up visit compared with the preoperative evaluation. Pooled results (12 studies, 237 patients) demonstrated improved American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society ankle hindfoot scores with a weighted average of 33 points of improvement. Conclusion: Subtalar bone block arthrodesis provides good clinical results at short-term and midterm follow-up, with improvement in ankle function as well as acceptable complication and failure rates. These consistent clinical outcomes throughout the literature, despite different lengths of followup periods, suggest that the functional results do not deteriorate with time. Higher confidence recommendations for SDA require longer follow-up, clear indications and treatment protocols, standardized clinical and radiographic outcome measures, and direct comparison or stratification of results based on graft type and other operative techniques. [Table: see text]

Objectives: An association exists between increased posterior tibial slope and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in pediatric patients with open physes. Additionally, an increased posterior tibial slope is also associated with increased odds of a further ACL injury after ACL reconstruction. Reliable radiographic measurement techniques are important for investigating limb alignment prior to and following pediatric ACL reconstruction. There have been multiple methods described to measure tibial slope, however, it is unknown if these are reliable in the pediatric population given the altered and developing proximal tibia anatomy during skeletal maturation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the intra- and interobserver reliability of previously described posterior tibial slope measurements from lateral radiographs of skeletally immature patients. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed including patients age 6-18 years old with available lateral knee radiographs and no prior surgery or musculoskeletal pathology. 130 patients (ten in each age group) were analyzed by three reviewers. Measurements were made using the Centricity Enterprise Web PACS System (Version 3.0; GE Medical Systems, Barrington, Illinois). The posterior tibial slope was measured using three previously described methods: the anterior tibial cortex (ATC), posterior tibial cortex (PTC), and the proximal tibia anatomic axis (TPAA) (Figure 1). The radiographs were graded by each reviewer twice, performed two weeks apart. The intra- and interobserver agreements were determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with the second set of measurements used for interobserver agreement. ICC estimates and their 95% confident intervals were calculated using SAS statistical package (Version 9; SAS Institute, Cary, North Carolina) based on an individual ratings, absolute-agreement, two-way mixed-effects model. As described by Landis and Koch, the interpretation of the ICC was as follows—slight: 0.00 to 0.20; fair: 0.21 to 0.40; moderate: 0.41 to 0.60; substantial: 0.61 to 0.80; almost perfect agreement: 0.81 to 1.00. Results: There were 130 patients included with an average age of 12 years old (range 6-18 years) with 47.7% (n=62) male patients. The mean measurements were ATC: 12.3 degrees, PTC 7.2 degrees, and TPAA: 9.3 degrees. Measures of intra-observer agreement met almost perfect agreement criteria among all three reviewers for all three methods of measuring the posterior tibial slope with a mean of 0.88 (range, 0.86-0.92) for ATC, 0.85 (range, 0.82-0.87) for PTC, and 0.87 (range, 0.82-0.92) for TPAA. (Table 1) Measures of inter-observer agreement was substantial across all three reviewers for all three methods of measuring with an average of 0.72 (range, 0.70-0.83) for ATC, 0.74 (range, 0.68-0.83) for PTC, and 0.74 (range, 0.68-0.84) for TPAA (Table 1). Conclusion: In accordance with prior reports, the ATC measurement yields larger values and PTC smaller values when measuring posterior tibial slope. The three different methods of measuring demonstrated almost perfect agreement for intra-rater reliability and substantial agreement for inter-rater reliability. There was no difference in reliability across the three different measurement methods. Thus, despite the transforming anatomy during skeletal maturation, the posterior tibial slope can be reliability measured in the skeletally immature population using plain lateral radiographs and any of the three described methods- ATC, PTC, or TPAA. [Figure: see text]

Patellar instability is a common problem in the active pediatric population. When nonoperative treatment of the instability fails, growth-respecting surgical stabilization techniques are required. As the incidence of medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction has increased, techniques have improved to avoid physeal injury to the distal femur. These techniques are technically demanding because of the small size of the distal femoral epiphysis in children, as well as the relatively large socket size (7-8 mm in diameter, >20 mm in length) required for sound fixation with a tenodesis screw as originally described. The size of the femoral tunnel for interference fixation puts the surrounding structures at risk of damage. We present a modification of the epiphyseal socket technique for anatomic growth-sparing MPFL reconstruction using a small soft anchor for femoral graft fixation. This has the proposed advantages of diminishing volumetric bony removal from the epiphysis; increasing the margin of safety with respect to notch, trochlear, and/or physeal damage; and reducing the risk of thermal damage to the physis during socket reaming. This technique is technically simple and can be easily learned by surgeons familiar with adult MPFL reconstruction techniques.

Background: Subtalar distraction arthrodesis (SDA) was developed as a means of treating the symptoms of subtalar arthritis. Despite almost 30 years of research in this field, many controversies still exist regarding SDA. The objective of this study was to present an overview of outcomes following SDA, focusing on surgical technique as well as clinical and radiographic results. Methods: MEDLINE and EMBASE were queried and data abstraction was performed by 2 independent reviewers. Inclusion criteria for the articles were (1) English language, (2) peer-reviewed clinical studies with evidence levels I to IV, (3) with at least 5 patients, and (4) reporting clinical and/or radiographic outcomes of SDA. Results: Twenty-five studies matched the inclusion criteria (2 Level III and 23 Level IV studies) including 492 feet in 467 patients. The most common indication for SDA was late complications of calcaneus fractures. Many different operative techniques have been described, and there is no proven superiority of one method over the other. The most commonly reported complications were nonunion, hardware prominence, wound complications, and sural neuralgia. All studies showed both radiographic and clinical improvement at the last follow-up visit compared with the preoperative evaluation. Pooled results (12 studies, 237 patients) demonstrated improved American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scores with a weighted average of 33 points of improvement. Conclusion: SDA provides good clinical results at short-term and midterm follow-up, with improvement in ankle function as well as acceptable complication and failure rates. Higher quality studies are necessary to better assess outcomes between different operative techniques. Level of Evidence: Level III.

The development of tendinitis and tendinopathy is often multifactorial and the result of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors include anatomic factors, age-related factors, and systemic factors, whereas extrinsic factors include mechanical overload and improper form and equipment. Although tendinitis and tendinopathy are often incorrectly used interchangeably, they are in 2 distinct pathologies. Due to their chronicity and high prevalence in tendons about the ankle, including the Achilles tendon, the posterior tibialis tendon, and the peroneal tendons, tendinitis and tendinopathies cause significant morbidity and are important pathologies for physicians to recognize.

Category: Bunion Introduction/Purpose: Hallux valgus (HV) is one of the most common deformities of the foot resulting in pain and lifestyle modification of the patient. Recurrence rates of 10-47% have been documented in single individual osteotomy series. Unfortunately, surgical correction and recurrence are often defined as changes related to normal radiographs and not actually as the magnitude of correction lost with follow-up. Currently there have not been studies evaluating the percentage of recurrence of intermetatarsal angle (IMA) and hallux valgus angle (HVA). As there is substantial difference in starting IMA and HVA, as well as amount of surgical correction, our goal was to evaluate the percentage loss of correction over time comparing preoperative, initial postoperative and minimum of 2-year follow up radiographs among three different surgical correction techniques. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review study that examines the weight-bearing radiographic measurements of patients undergoing hallux valgus corrective surgery at a single institution over 5 years. Fifty-three patients were divided into first tarsometatarsal arthrodesis (i.e. Lapidus), mid-diaphyseal osteotomies (i.e. scarf), and distal metatarsal osteotomies (i.e. chevron). The preoperative, initial postoperative, and final follow up weight-bearing radiographs were measured for intermetatarsal angle (IMA) and hallux valgus angle (HVA). Primary outcome was percentage of recurrence of IMA and HVA, with the difference in angles between preoperative and initial postoperative weight-bearing films being considered 100% correction. The percentage of recurrence between initial postoperative and most recent follow up was then calculated (Figure 1A). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test and post-hoc Tukey-Kramer tests were used to compare preoperative IMA and HVA and percentage recurrence of IMA and HVA at most recent follow up. Results: There was no significant difference between Lapidus (14.3deg) and mid-diaphyseal osteotomies (12.7deg) in preoperative IMA (p-value=0.26). There was a significant difference between Lapidus (-0.3deg) and mid-diaphyseal (2.8deg) osteotomies for degree of hallux valgus recurrence as measured by IMA between initial postoperative films and final 2-year follow up (p-value=0.009). Lapidus procedure showed a greater magnitude decrease in IMA degrees from preoperation to final follow up compared to distal osteotomy (p-value=0.037) and trended toward significance compared to mid-diaphyseal (p-value=0.056). Mid-diaphyseal osteotomies (30%) showed a statistically significant higher percentage of IMA recurrence compared to Lapidus (-11%) (p-value=0.0014) (Figure 1B). When comparing percentage recurrence of HVA, distal osteotomies had a significantly smaller rate of recurrence when compared to the diaphyseal osteotomies (p-value=0.030). Conclusion: Though Lapidus and mid-diaphyseal osteotomies were performed for patients with a similar preoperative IMA, mid-diaphyseal osteotomies had a significantly higher percentage of recurrence at 2-year follow up compared to Lapidus procedures. Moreover, Lapidus procedures trended toward greater overall of IMA correction compared to mid-diaphyseal osteotomies. When either a Lapidus or mid-diaphyseal osteotomy is indicated, a Lapidus procedure may result in decreased rate of radiographic recurrence of hallux valgus at 2 years.