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Background: Surgical outcomes for proximal hamstring avulsion injury (PHAI) are well documented, yet comparative analyses with nonsurgical approaches remain scarce. Purpose: To compare the functional outcomes between surgical and nonsurgical interventions for PHAI. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: This comparative study, conducted at a sports surgery center between January 2012 and July 2021, focused on patients with primary PHAI. The study was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Group selection involved utilizing propensity score matching to compare an arm of patients who were surgically treated (indications included patients with complete injury, patients with partial injury with >2 cm of retraction, and patients for whom 6 months of nonsurgical treatment failed) with another arm of patients who refused surgery. The primary outcome was evaluated using the Parisian Hamstring Avulsion Score (PHAS). The secondary outcomes included the Tegner Activity Scale (TAS) score; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) score; rate and quality of return to sport (RTS); and patient satisfaction. Results: The study included 32 patients (mean age, 55.8 years [SD, 8.4 years]) in the nonsurgical treatment arm and 95 patients in the surgical treatment arm (mean age, 53.4 years [SD, 7.7 years]) (P >.05). The interval from injury to treatment was 5.7 months (SD, 9.6 months) for the surgical group and 12.7 months (SD, 25.9 months) for the nonsurgical group (P >.05). At the final follow-up (nonsurgical group: mean, 56.5 months [SD, 28.2 months]; surgical group: mean, 50.7 months [SD, 33.1 months]), the PHAS was significantly higher in the surgical group (mean, 86.3 [SD, 13.7]) compared with the nonsurgical group (mean, 69.8 [SD, 15.1]) (P <.0001). Higher activity scores were also observed in the surgical group for the TAS and UCLA scores (P =.0224 and P =.0026, respectively). A higher percentage of the surgical group (68.4%) returned to sports compared with the nonsurgical group (46.9%) (P =.0354), with a greater proportion in the surgical group returning at the same or higher level (67.7% vs 26.7%) (P =.0069). Additionally, a higher satisfaction level was reported by patients in the surgical group (89.5%) in contrast to the nonsurgical group (25%) (P <.0001). Three patients in the surgical group experienced complications (2 reruptures and 1 hyperesthesia at the pudendal nerve territories). Odds ratios (ORs) indicated that patients in the surgical group were significantly more likely to achieve or exceed median scores for the PHAS (OR, 6.79; P <.001), TAS score (OR, 2.29; P =.045), and UCLA score (OR, 3.63; P =.003), as well as to RTS at any level (OR, 2.46; P =.031) or at the preinjury level or higher (OR, 6.04; P <.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that surgical treatment of PHAI significantly enhances long-term functional scores, including the PHAS, TAS score, UCLA score, satisfaction, and RTS, at a mean follow-up of >4 years compared with nonsurgical treatment. Registration: NCT02906865 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Isokinetic torque in shoulder internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) can be considered as potential indicators for dynamic stability of the glenohumeral joint. Purpose: To assess the efficacy of 4-month isokinetic testing in predicting the 6-month return-to-sports (RTS) status after Latarjet surgery, explore its correlations with testing parameters, and identify optimal thresholds to ensure a safe RTS. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: The study assessed athletes who underwent the Latarjet stabilization procedure between January 2022 and June 2023. The primary outcome was RTS at 6 months after surgery. The primary examined predictors were isokinetic testing metrics at 4 months postoperatively. Secondary outcomes comprised the modified Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test (mCKCUEST) and several patient-reported outcome measures, including the Walch-Duplay score, the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI), and the Shoulder Instability–Return to Sports after Injury scale. To assess the predictors, patients were divided into those who returned to any level of sports compared with those who did not return to sports. The correlation between isokinetic testing results and other outcome scores was also analyzed. Results: A total of 71 patients (mean age, 27.43 ± 9.09 years) were included in the study. Of these, 23.61% did not return to sports, 38.89% returned at a lower level, and 37.50% returned to the same level. Significant rotational strength disparities were noted. Patients who did not return to sports at 6 months demonstrated inferior strength in concentric ER at 60 deg/s, concentric ER at 240 deg/s, concentric IR at 240 deg/s, and eccentric IR at 30 deg/s (P <.05). Similar trends appeared for all studied patient-reported outcome measures and the mCKCUEST (P <.05). Receiver operating characteristic analysis emphasized the significance of isokinetic testing in concentric ER at 240 deg/s (area under the curve = 0.759; P =.001; cutoff = 0.32 N·m/kg; sensitivity = 100.0%; specificity = 49.1%) and eccentric ER at 30 deg/s (area under the curve = 0.760; P =.001; cutoff = 0.51 N·m/kg; sensitivity = 94.1%; specificity = 49.1%) for RTS prediction. Additionally, ER strength moderately correlated with the Walch-Duplay score across all examined velocities (r = 0.26-0.34; P <.05). The modified WOSI score was weakly linked to ER strength at 240 deg/s and 30 deg/s (r = 0.24-0.25; P <.05) as well as moderately linked to the limb symmetry index in ER at 60 deg/s and 30 deg/s (r = 0.30-0.38; P <.05). Conclusion: Isokinetic testing can act as an independent predictor of successful RTS after Latarjet surgery, with concentric ER at 240 deg/s, concentric IR at 240 deg/s, eccentric ER at 30 deg/s, and eccentric IR at 30 deg/s showing the most accuracy. Strength recovery in ER was associated with better Walch-Duplay and modified WOSI scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Method Results Conclusion Level of Evidence To introduce a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sign, termed the Cobra sign, and identify its diagnostic metrics. The secondary aim was to demonstrate that this sign can be a source of false evaluation of tendon retraction in patients with proximal hamstring avulsion injury.This retrospective cohort study targeted patients surgically treated for proximal hamstring avulsion injury from January 2019 to June 2023. The MRI Cobra sign was defined as a wavy curved T2‐hypointense band with the free end folding distally over itself, resembling a cobra head. The primary outcome measure was the characterization of the Cobra sign in patients with proximal hamstring avulsion injury. The secondary outcome was the association of this sign with tendon retraction. The study included 81 proximal hamstring avulsion injury patients (mean age of 45.7, SD = 13.9), with 41 (50.6%) complete avulsions, 33 semimembranosus, and 7 conjoint tendons.The MRI Cobra sign was found in 25 patients (17 semimembranosus and 8 complete). It was confirmed surgically only in semimembranosus cases. It demonstrated 51.5% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity for isolated semimembranosus avulsions, with a significant positive likelihood ratio of 3.0. MRI retraction was 10.05 cm (±3.0), reducing to 7.9 cm (±2.5) on surgical measurement (mean difference = 2.0 cm, p < 0.001). The regression analysis confirmed MRI retraction's influence on the Cobra sign, with a 1.4 odds increase per unit (p < 0.001). In linear regression analysis, each unit increase in MRI retraction corresponded to a 79% increase in surgical retraction (coefficient 0.7, t = 11.1, p < 0.001).The Cobra sign demonstrated acceptable diagnostic accuracy for isolated semimembranosus avulsion, with a high specificity of 83.3%, a low sensitivity of 51.5%, and a positive likelihood ratio of 3.0. The presence of the Cobra sign indicates an overestimated MRI retraction by approximately 21%.Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Proximal hamstring complex injury (PHCI) is a common injury among professional athletes, particularly those participating in pivot contact sports. Previous studies have suggested that surgery can be effective in restoring function and allowing athletes to return to sport (RTS), but the factors influencing successful RTS have been less clear. Purpose: To assess RTS capabilities after surgical treatment of PHCI in professional athletes and to identify favorable predictors of RTS. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: This study (2002-2022) was conducted on professional athletes who underwent surgical treatment for PHCI at a sports surgery center. The primary outcome of the study was the RTS capability, evaluated based on the rate of athletes' return to their preinjury level of competition, time delay to RTS, and quality of RTS as measured using their level of performance and progression of scores on activity scales such as the Tegner Activity Scale (TAS) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), scale. "Maintained performance" was defined as athletes returning to the same preinjury activity level (per the TAS and UCLA scale) and perceiving themselves to have maintained their performance. Secondary outcomes covered the potential RTS predictors and complication rate. The study distinguished 2 types of PHCI: proximal hamstring tendon avulsion injury (proximal rupture with empty footprint, or having a "positive dropped ice cream sign") and complete proximal hamstring free tendon rupture (PHTR; proximal rupture without empty footprint, or having a "negative dropped ice cream sign"). Results: The study examined 64 professional athletes (mean age, 27.3 years; 82.8% male) undergoing surgery for PHCI. The RTS rate was 98.4%, with 78.1% of the athletes returning to their preinjury level of competition at 6.2 months (SD, 2.5 months). Twelve (19%) patients had returned to sport at an inferior level of competition, and 2 (3.1%) were unable to continue in their preinjury sport. Subgroup analysis revealed variation in RTS based on sport type, with the highest rate of return to preinjury performance found in athletes in handball and sports with splits (fencing, squash, and escalade; 100%) and soccer (95.2%). In the univariate analysis, male sex (hazard ratio [HR], 4.05; 95% CI, 1.45-11.3; P =.008), higher preinjury TAS score (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.06-1.52; P =.011), injury involving the semimembranosus (HR, 4.84; 95% CI, 2.31-10.2; P <.001) or conjoint tendon (HR, 3.12; 95% CI, 1.55-6.25; P =.001), and PHTR (HR, 7.77; 95% CI, 3.54-17.0; P <.001) were significantly associated with a better postoperative level of competition. Multivariate analysis identified 3 favorable predictors of RTS with HRs of 2.91 (95% CI, 1.01-8.35; P =.047) for male sex, 3.86 (95% CI, 1.78-8.37; P <.001) for isolated semimembranosus injury, and 5.18 (95% CI, 2.24-12.0; P <.001) for PHTR. The complication rate was 4.7%. Conclusion: Favorable predictors of early RTS were male sex, isolated semimembranosus injury, and PHTR injuries. Registration: NCT02906865 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]