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Background: There is a need to identify and quantify mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in human bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) source tissues, but current methods to do so were established in cultured cell populations. Given that surface marker and gene expression change in cultured cells, it is doubtful that these strategies are valid to quantify MSCs in fresh BMAC. Purpose: To establish the presence, quantity, and heterogeneity of BMAC-derived MSCs in minimally manipulated BMAC using currently available strategies. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Five published strategies to identify MSCs were compared for suitability and efficiency to quantify clinical-grade BMAC-MSCs and cultured MSCs at the single cell transcriptome level on BMAC samples being used clinically from 15 orthopaedic patients and on 1 cultured MSC sample. Strategies included (1) the guidelines by the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT), (2) CD271 expression, (3) the Ghazanfari et al transcriptional profile, (4) the Jia et al transcriptional profile, and (5) the Silva et al transcriptional profile. Results: ISCT guidelines did not identify any MSCs in BMAC at the transcriptional level and only 1 in 9 million cells at the protein level. Of 12,850 BMAC cells, 9 expressed the CD271 gene. Only 116 of 396 Ghazanfari genes were detected in BMAC, whereas no cells expressed all of them. No cells expressed all Jia genes, but 25 cells expressed at least 13 of 22. No cells expressed all Silva genes, but 19 cells expressed at least 8 of 23. Most importantly, the liberalized strategies tended to identify different cells and most of them clustered with immune cells. Conclusion: Currently available methods need to be liberalized to identify any MSCs in fresh human BMAC and lack consensus at the single cell transcriptome and protein expression levels. These different cells should be isolated and challenged to establish phenotypic differences. Clinical Relevance: This study demonstrated that improved strategies to quantify MSC concentrations in BMAC for clinical applications are urgently needed. Until then, injected minimally manipulated MSC doses should be reported as rough estimates or as unknown.

BACKGROUND:A continuous adductor canal block provides analgesia after surgical procedures of the knee. Recent neuroanatomic descriptions of the thigh and knee led us to speculate that local anesthetic deposited in the distal thigh close to the adductor hiatus would provide superior analgesia compared to a more proximal catheter location. We therefore tested the hypothesis that during a continuous adductor canal nerve block, postoperative analgesia would be improved by placing the perineural catheter tip 2-3 cm cephalad to where the femoral artery descends posteriorly to the adductor hiatus (distal location) compared to a more proximal location at the midpoint between the anterior superior iliac spine and the superior border of the patella (proximal location). METHODS:Preoperatively, subjects undergoing total knee arthroplasty received an ultrasound-guided perineural catheter inserted either in the proximal or distal location within the adductor canal in a randomized, subject-masked fashion. Subjects received a single injection of lidocaine 2% via the catheter preoperatively, followed by an infusion of ropivacaine 0.2% (8 mL/h basal, 4 mL bolus, 30 minutes lockout) for the study duration. After joint closure, the surgeon infiltrated the entire joint using 30 mL of ropivacaine (0.5%), ketorolac (30 mg), epinephrine (5 μg/mL), and tranexamic acid (2 g). The primary end point was the median level of pain as measured on a numeric rating scale (NRS) during the time period of 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM the day after surgery. RESULTS:For the primary end point, the NRS of subjects with a catheter inserted at the proximal location (n = 24) was a median (10th, 25th-75th, 90th quartiles) of 0.5 (0.0, 0.0-3.2, 5.0) vs 3.0 (0.0, 2.0-5.4, 7.8) for subjects with a catheter inserted in the distal location (n = 26; P = .011). Median and maximum NRSs were lower in the proximal group at all other time points, but these differences did not reach statistical significance. There were no clinically relevant or statistically significant differences between the treatment groups for any other secondary end point, including opioid consumption and ambulation distance. CONCLUSIONS:For continuous adductor canal blocks accompanied by intraoperative periarticular local anesthetic infiltration, analgesia the day after knee arthroplasty is improved with a catheter inserted at the level of the midpoint between the anterior superior iliac spine and the superior border of the patella compared with a more distal insertion closer to the adductor hiatus.

Background:This study aimed to investigate the radiographic measurements associated with the progression of hallux valgus during at least 2 years of follow-up.Methods:Seventy adult patients with hallux valgus who were followed for at least 2 years and underwent weightbearing foot radiography were included. Radiographic measurements included the hallux valgus angle (HVA), hallux interphalangeal angle, intermetatarsal angle (IMA), metatarsus adductus angle, distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA), tibial sesamoid position, anteroposterior (AP) talo–first metatarsal angle, and lateral talo–first metatarsal angle. Patients were divided into progressive and nonprogressive groups. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors that significantly affected the progression of hallux valgus deformity. The correlation between change in HVA and changes in other radiographic indices during follow-up was analyzed.Results:The DMAA ( P = .027) and AP talo–first metatarsal angle ( P = .034) at initial presentation were found to be significant factors affecting the progression of hallux valgus deformity. Change in the HVA during follow-up was significantly correlated with changes in the IMA ( r = 0.423; P = .001) and DMAA ( r = 0.541; P < .001).Conclusion:The change in the HVA was found to be significantly correlated with changes in the IMA and DMAA. A future study is required to elucidate whether this correlation can be explained by the progressive instability of the first tarsometatarsal joint. We believe special attention needs to be paid to patients with pes planus and increased DMAA.Level of Evidence:Level III, comparative study.

We tested the hypothesis that during a continuous popliteal-sciatic nerve block, postoperative analgesia is improved with the catheter insertion point "deep" to the paraneural sheath immediately distal to the bifurcation between the tibial and common peroneal branches, compared with the traditional approach "superficial" to the paraneural sheath proximal to the bifurcation. The needle tip location was determined to be accurately located with a fluid bolus visualized with ultrasound; however, catheters were subsequently inserted without a similar fluid injection and visualization protocol (visualized air injection was permitted and usually implemented, but not required per protocol). The average pain (0-10 scale) the morning after surgery for subjects with a catheter inserted at the proximal subparaneural location (n = 31) was a median (interquartile) of 1.5 (0.0-3.5) vs 1.5 (0.0-4.0) for subjects with a catheter inserted at the distal supraparaneural location (n = 32; P = .927). Secondary outcomes were similarly negative.

Background and Objectives Percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is an analgesic modality involving the insertion of a lead through an introducing needle followed by the delivery of electric current. This modality has been reported to treat chronic pain as well as postoperative pain the day following knee surgery. However, it remains unknown if this analgesic technique may be used in ambulatory subjects following foot procedures beginning within the recovery room immediately following surgery, and with only short series of patients reported to date, the only available data are derived from strictly observational studies. The purposes of this proof-of-concept study were to demonstrate the feasibility of using percutaneous sciatic nerve PNS to treat postoperative pain following ambulatory foot surgery in the immediate postoperative period and provide the first available data from a randomized controlled study design to provide evidence of analgesic effect. Methods Preoperatively, an electrical lead (SPRINT; SPR Therapeutics, Inc, Cleveland, Ohio) was percutaneously inserted posterior to the sciatic nerve between the subgluteal region and bifurcation with ultrasound guidance. Following hallux valgus osteotomy, subjects received 5 minutes of either stimulation or sham in a randomized, double-masked fashion followed by a 5-minute crossover period and then continuous stimulation until lead removal on postoperative days 14 to 28. Results During the initial 5-minute treatment period, subjects randomized to stimulation (n = 4) experienced a downward trajectory in their pain over the 5 minutes of treatment, whereas those receiving sham (n = 3) reported no such change until their subsequent 5-minute stimulation crossover. During the subsequent 30 minutes of stimulation, pain scores decreased to 52% of baseline (n = 7). Three subjects (43%) used a continuous popliteal nerve block for rescue analgesia during postoperative days 0 to 3. Overall, resting and dynamic pain scores averaged less than 1 on the numeric rating scale, and opioid use averaged less than 1 tablet daily with active stimulation. One lead dislodged, 2 fractured during use, and 1 fractured during intentional withdrawal. Conclusions This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that percutaneous sciatic nerve PNS is feasible for ambulatory foot surgery and suggests that this modality provides analgesia and decreases opioid requirements following hallux valgus procedures. However, lead dislodgement and fracture are concerns. Clinical Trial Registration This study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT02898103.

Ankle impingement syndromes encompass a broad spectrum of post-traumatic and chronic degenerative changes that present with pain on specific movements about the ankle joint. Both amateur and professional athletes are disproportionately affected by these conditions, and while conservative measures can potentially treat an impingement syndrome, definitive therapy is often alleviated surgically. Imaging (including conventional radiography, ultrasound, CT and MRI) plays an invaluable role in the diagnosis and pre-surgical work-up. An anatomically based classification system is useful in these syndromes, as the aetiology, sites of pathology and preferred treatment methods are similarly based on anatomic locations about the ankle. This review focuses on the anatomic locations, pathophysiology, imaging considerations and brief discussion of therapies for each of the major anatomic ankle impingement syndromes.

Continuous Popliteal Sciatic Blocks: Does Varying Perineural Catheter Location Relative to the Sciatic Bifurcation Influence Block Effects? A Dual-Center, Randomized, Subject-Masked, Controlled Clinical Trial Amanda M. Monahan, MD,* Sarah J. Madison, MD,* Vanessa J. Loland, MD,* Jacklynn F. Sztain, MD,* Michael L. Bishop, MD,* NavParkash S. Sandhu, MD,* Richard H. Bellars, MD,* Bahareh Khatibi, MD,* Alexandra K. Schwartz, MD,† Sonya S. Ahmed, MD,† Michael C. Donohue, PhD,‡ Scott T. Nomura, BS,§ Cindy H. Wen, BS,‖ and Brian M. Ilfeld, MD, MS*¶ BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have demonstrated that, for single-injection popliteal sciatic nerve blocks, block characteristics are dependent upon local anesthetic injection relative to the sciatic nerve bifurcation. In contrast, this relation remains unexamined for continuous pop- liteal sciatic nerve blocks. We, therefore, tested the hypothesis that postoperative analgesia is improved with the perineural catheter tip at the level of the bifurcation compared with 5 cm proximal to the bifurcation. METHODS: Preoperatively, subjects having moderately painful foot or ankle surgery were randomly assigned to receive an ultrasound-guided subepimyseal perineural catheter inserted either at or 5 cm proximal to the sciatic nerve bifurcation. Subjects received a single injection of mepivacaine 1.5% either via the insertion needle preoperatively or the perineural catheter postoperatively, fol- lowed by an infusion of ropivacaine 0.2% (6 mL/h basal, 4 mL bolus, and 30-min lockout) for the study duration. The primary end point was the average pain measured on a numeric rating scale (0–10) in the 3 hours before a data collection telephone call the morning after surgery. RESULTS: The average numeric rating scale of subjects with a catheter inserted at the sciatic nerve bifurcation (n = 64) was a median (10th, 25th to 75th, and 90th quartiles) of 3.0 (0.0, 2.4–5.0, and 7.0) vs 2.0 (0.0, 1.0–4.0, and 5.0) for subjects with a catheter inserted proximal to the bifurcation (n = 64; P = 0.008). Similarly, maximum pain scores were greater in the group at the bifurcation: 6.0 (3.0, 4.4–8.0, and 9.0) vs 5.0 (0.0, 3.0–8.0, and 10.0) (P = 0.019). Differences between the groups for catheter insertion time, opioid rescue dose, degree of numbness in the foot/toes, catheter dislodgement, and fluid leakage did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: For continuous popliteal sciatic nerve blocks, a catheter inserted 5 cm proximal to the sciatic nerve bifurcation provides superior postoperative analgesia in subjects having moderately painful foot or ankle surgery compared with catheters located at the bifurcation. This is in marked contrast with single-injection popliteal sciatic nerve blocks for which benefits are afforded to local anesthetic injection distal, rather than proximal, to the bifurcation. (Anesth Analg 2016;122:1689–95) C ontinuous popliteal sciatic nerve blocks provide postoperative analgesia after surgical procedures of the foot and ankle. 1 The sciatic nerve courses down From the *Department of Anesthesiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California; †Department of Orthopedics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California; ‡Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformat- ics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, ­California; §School of Med- icine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, C ­ alifornia; ‖Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California; and ¶Outcomes Research Consortium, Cleveland, Ohio. Accepted for publication December 28, 2015. Funding: Funding for this project was provided by the National Institutes of Health grant GM077026 (Principal Investigator: Dr. Ilfeld) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (Bethesda, Maryland); and the Department of Anesthesiology, University California San Diego (San Diego, California). The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the funding entities. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Reprints will not be available from the authors. Address correspondence to Brian M. Ilfeld, MD, MS, Department of ­Anesthesiology, University of California San Diego, 200 West Arbor Dr., MC 8770, San Diego, CA 92103. Address e-mail to bilfeld@ucsd.edu. Copyright © 2016 International Anesthesia Research Society DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001211 May 2016 • Volume 122 • Number 5 the posterior thigh and bifurcates just above or within the popliteal fossa into 2 branches: the tibial and common peroneal nerves. Cadaver studies have confirmed the location of this bifurcation to range from approximately 0 to 11 cm proximal to popliteal crease, most commonly 5 to 7 cm above the crease. 2,3 Using ultrasound guidance, practitioners can target a precise location along the sciatic nerve relative to the sciatic bifurcation for deposition of local anesthetic. 4–6 Previous randomized studies document that depositing an initial bolus of local anesthetic via a needle distal to the sciatic bifurcation—compared with proximal to the bifur- cation—results in decreased time to onset of sensory and motor block and at times an increased surgical-quality block success rate. 4–6 This suggests that deposition of local anes- thetic at various locations along the sciatic nerve can influ- ence block characteristics. However, findings from studies involving single-injection nerve blocks have not always been replicated when investigated in relation to continuous peripheral nerve blocks. 7–12 Whether the perineural catheter location relative to the sciatic nerve bifurcation influences www.anesthesia-analgesia.org 1689 Copyright © 2016 International Anesthesia Research Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.

Background: The standard operative treatment for Lisfranc injuries is to openly reduce them and use screw fixation. Due to the current trend of applying a more physiologic fixation and decreasing the need for screw removal, a recent interest has developed in suture-button fixation. The purpose of this study was to compare the suture button technique for Lisfranc fracture fixation to the traditional interfragmentary screw fixation. Materials and Methods: Eight fresh-frozen matched paired cadavers with an average age of 50 (range, 37 to 55) years were tested. For each specimen, the distance between marked points on the base of the first metatarsal and second metatarsal was measured. The distance was then re-measured when a 600 Newton load was applied to the specimen with an intact ligament, a sectioned Lisfranc ligament, and after the fixation method. Results: Fixed loaded measurement displacements were significantly ( p < 0.00) smaller with screw fixation compared to their respective intact loaded measurements. Fixed loaded measurement displacements were significantly ( p = 0.001) smaller than the fixed unloaded measurements in the screw group when compared to the suture button group. Conclusion: In the current cadaveric model, standard interfragmentary screw fixation with a 4.0 cannulated screw had less displacement than the Arthrex Mini Tightrope in isolated Lisfranc ligament injuries. Therefore, we conclude that until more comparative studies are performed with more accurate measuring devices, open reduction and screw fixation of these injuries should continue to be the accepted treatment.

Category: Ankle, Arthroscopy, Trauma Introduction/Purpose: This meta-analysis was performed to determine whether the arthroscopically assisted open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for ankle fractures is more beneficial than the conventional ORIF. Methods: Articles in electronic medial databases were searched between March 1983 and August 2016, including Pubmed and SCOPUS. We included the studies with comparative design comparing the surgical outcomes between the arthroscopically assisted ORIF for ankle fractures and the conventional ORIF. Finally, two RCTs and two retrospective comparative studies were included for analysis. Mean and standard deviation (SD) of postoperative functional scores, number of subjects, and P-values were extracted from the studies. In addition, postoperative follow-up period, fracture type, and study quality were collected. Results: The pooled effect size of the four studies 0.535 (95% CI, 0.247 to 0.823) in Hedges’s g, which favored the arthroscopically assisted ORIF over conventional ORIF. There was no evidence of publication bias in funnel plot and in Egger’s test (p=0.534). Conclusion: The arthroscopically assisted ORIF for ankle fractures were more beneficial than the conventional ORIF in the current evidences. However, since it needs more medical cost and longer operation time, possible additional complications and cost effectiveness are to be validated in future studies.

Previous studies have reported thermal injuries with thick cast materials and warm dip water temperatures, often much higher than is clinically applicable. The goal of this study was to assess the temperature produced in vivo by current casting techniques and materials. The study was done using clinically applicable materials and water temperatures. A single volunteer was used to test skin temperatures produced with various casting techniques. We tested several types of fiberglass and plaster of 5 or 10 layers, used soft roll of 1 or 3 layers, and used dip water temperatures of 30°C and 40°C. We tested 2 plaster types: Johnson & Johnson Specialist Fast Set and Specialist Extra Fast Set (New Brunswick, New Jersey). Fiberglass tested included 3M Scotchcast Poly Casting Tape and Scotchcast Plus (St Paul, Minnesota), Royce Medical Techform (Camarrillo, California), and DeBusk Classic Synthetic Tape (Powell, Tennessee). The highest temperature reached using 30°C water temperature was 39°C with 10 layers of 3M Scotchcast fiberglass and 1 layer of soft roll. The highest temperature reached with 40°C water was 39.5°C, which was reached twice: once with Johnson & Johnson Fast Set Plaster with 5 layers of plaster and 3 layers of soft roll, and once with DeBusk Classic Synthetic Casting Tape of 10 layers with 1 layer of soft roll. Under the clinically applicable conditions described in this study, using the materials we tested and with a normal vascular supply, it is unlikely that temperatures high enough to cause a burn will be produced. We caution that good clinical judgment is advised if a patient reports a cast is too hot.

The outcome of peritrochanteric fracture fixation is dependent on lag screw placement in the femoral head. The dynamic hip screw technique permits initial, independent lag screw placement, while the cephalomedullary nail dictates its positioning. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of lag screw placement for both implant types. A retrospective review of 200 consecutive patients with peritrochanteric fractures stabilized with a dynamic hip screw or cephalomedullary nail was performed. Postoperative biplanar radiographs were used to determine the lag screw tip-apex distance and femoral head zone placement. The study inclusion criteria were met by 137 patients (66 dynamic hip screw; 71 cephalomedullary nail). The patients included 56% women and 44% men with an average age of 73 years. The tip-apex distance and femoral head zone placement demonstrated no statistically significant difference between the 2 implant groups. The lag screw of a cephalomedullary nail was 3.25 times more likely placed in the antero-center zone compared to the dynamic hip screw, and this was statistically significant when compared to other zones. There was a trend toward a more favorable tip-apex distance in women for both implants. The accurate placement of the lag screw can be routinely achieved for both dynamic hip screw and cephalomedullary nail implants, and therefore should not a factor in the selection of these implants for adequate peritrochanteric fracture stabilization. These results represent the immediate postoperative setting, and a follow-up is warranted to establish their long-term clinical relevance.