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Objective: To determine patient-specific and injury-specific factors that may predict infection and other adverse clinical results in the setting of tibial pilon fractures., Design: Retrospective chart review., Setting: Level 1 academic trauma center., Patients: Two hundred forty-eight patients who underwent operative treatment for tibial pilon fractures between 2010 and 2020., Intervention: External fixation and/or open reduction and internal fixation., Main Outcome Measurements: Fracture-related infection rates and specific bacteriology, risk factors associated with development of a fracture-related infection, and predictors of adverse clinical results., Results: Two hundred forty-eight patients were enrolled. There was an infection rate of 21%. The 3 most common pathogens cultured were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (20.3%), Enterobacter cloacae (16.7%), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (15.5%). There was no significant difference in age, sex, race, body mass index, or smoking status between those who developed an infection and those who did not. Patients with diabetes mellitus ( P = 0.0001), open fractures ( P = 0.0043), and comminuted fractures (OTA/AO 43C2 and 43C3) ( P = 0.0065) were more likely to develop a fracture-related infection. The presence of a polymicrobial infection was positively associated with adverse clinical results ( P = 0.006). History of diabetes was also positively associated with adverse results ( P = 0.019)., Conclusions: History of diabetes and severe fractures, such as those that were open or comminuted fractures, were positively associated with developing a fracture-related infection after the operative fixation of tibial pilon fractures. History of diabetes and presence of a polymicrobial infection were independently associated with adverse clinical results., Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence., Competing Interests: S. L. Kates' research is partially supported by Clinical Translational Science Award CTSA: #1UL1TR002649. T. T. Patel has a consulting relationship with Paragon28. The remaining authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To quantify the current bacteriology of deep surgical site infections (SSIs) after fracture surgery at 1 institution and to compare those data with historical controls at the same institution, assessing variations in infecting organisms over the past decade., Design: Retrospective review., Setting: Level I trauma center., Patients/participants: Two hundred forty-three patients requiring surgical intervention for deep SSI between January 2011 and December 2015 were compared with 211 patients requiring surgical intervention for deep SSI between December 2006 and December 2010., Intervention: None., Main Outcome Measurements: Bacteria were categorized as Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), Streptococcus, Enterococcus, gram-negative rods (GNR), gram-positive rods, anaerobes, or negative cultures. The proportion of each bacterial type was determined and compared with previously published data from the same trauma center (December 2006 to December 2010)., Results: Patients most commonly had S. aureus infections (48%), followed by GNR (40%) and CoNS (19%). The proportion of CoNS species (26% vs. 12%, P < 0.01) in infected patients was significantly higher during the current study period compared with historical controls. The proportion of S. aureus species in infected patients was significantly less during the current study period (39% vs. 56%, P < 0.01). The reduction in the proportion of S. aureus species in infected patients was driven by a decrease in the proportion of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in the overall sample., Conclusions: Bacteriology of deep SSI of fractures has changed substantially over the past decade at our center, specifically the proportions of GNR, CoNS, and MRSA., Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Objectives: Infection after fracture fixation is a major source of morbidity. Information regarding bacterial speciation and antibiotic resistance is lacking. We attempted to determine the speciation and drug resistance profiles associated with fracture fixation infections., Design: Retrospective study., Setting: Level I trauma center., Patients: Two hundred eleven patients with 214 infections underwent surgery for postoperative infection from December 2006 to December 2010. Deep postoperative infections within 12 months of fixation were included., Intervention: None., Main Outcome Measurements: Incidence of each bacterial species and rate of clinically relevant resistance in Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative rod (GNR), and Enterococcus species. The effect of timing of infection presentation and location of fracture on bacterial speciation was also investigated., Results: Fifty-six percent of infections had S. aureus present, with 58% of those (32% of all infections) being methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Thirty-two percent of infections had at least one GNR present, with only 4% of those being multidrug resistant. We found a marked increase in the rate of GNR infections of the pelvis, acetabulum, and proximal femur (63%) compared with other locations (27%), which was statistically significant (P = 0.0002)., Conclusions: At our center, S. aureus and GNR are most often found in deep postoperative infections after fixation. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus is common in this population. Our GNR rate is high, but resistance in this group was low. The proportion of GNR infections in the pelvis, acetabulum, and proximal femur was high even in closed fractures. These data provide a modern snapshot of orthopaedic infections after fracture fixation and might be useful in designing future studies and protocols for antibiotic prophylactic treatment. We are considering the use of aminoglycosides in the treatment of closed fractures of the pelvis, acetabulum, and proximal femur., Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Desmoid tumors are benign tumors that exhibit varying degrees of local aggressiveness and diverse growth patterns. Magnetic resonance imaging remains the modality of choice for assessment of the nature and size of the soft-tissue lesion and involvement of surrounding structures. Treatment strategies include surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and radiation therapy, either individually or in combination. Despite the benign nature of these tumors, multidisciplinary care is needed to provide combined treatment options. Chemotherapy in low doses is an excellent first-round treatment in any patient in whom contemplated local treatment may produce local morbidity and adjacent tissue injury.

Accurately judging anteversion of proximal femoral replacement prostheses (PFRPs) during insertion can be difficult and may affect performance/stability. We designed a gravity goniometer jig, which attaches directly to the prosthesis, to improve rotational placement. Our hypotheses were that surgeons cannot accurately estimate anteversion in the context of a PFRP and that our jig would improve rotational placement. In our model, a 15-centimeter PFRP was placed in a saw-bones femur set in a lateral position. The prosthesis could rotate into anteversion/retroversion while the femur was fixed. Orthopedic residents and surgeons made 2 attempts to place the prosthesis into 15 degrees of anteversion; first without, then with the jig. Each attempt was recorded by photograph and angle-measuring jig. Nineteen surgeons and 28 residents participated. Without the jig, the mean PFRP anteversion was 18.3 degrees (range, 1 degrees -50.5 degrees ; SD, 9.6) compared to 14.3 degrees (range, 12.5 degrees -15.5 degrees ; SD, 0.7) using the jig (P = .006). Without a jig, the mean anteversion of resident-placed endoprosthesis was 18.4 degrees (range, 3 degrees -36 degrees ; SD, 8.1) compared to 18.1 degrees (range, 1 degrees -50.5 degrees ; SD, 12.1) (P = .91) recorded for attending physicians. The angle measurements from the jig and photographs were statistically equal. The placement of the PFRP into proper anteversion was more accurate with the aid of the jig. Simple jigs, such as the one developed for this study, may improve rotational placement of PFRPs.

Unlabelled: Percutaneous biopsies are frequently used for musculoskeletal lesions. We suspect published accuracy rates (80-97%) overestimate clinical utility. We retrospectively reviewed 120 consecutive percutaneous biopsies performed by interventional radiologists at our institution. Patients underwent core biopsy, fine-needle aspiration (FNA), or both. The biopsy interpretations were considered clinically useful if they allowed proper treatment to proceed and not useful if they were nondiagnostic or if surgical specimens disagreed with percutaneous specimen. Patients were categorized by biopsy type, tissue type, and tumor type. Ninety of 120 percutaneous biopsies were clinically useful, 27 were nondiagnostic, and three were incorrect; in these latter 30 patients we proceeded to open biopsy. Patients with both biopsies had clinically useful results (80.6%) more often than FNA or core alone(68.0% and 66.7%, respectively). Biopsies of bone lesions were clinically useful more often than those of soft tissue. Myxoid histology was associated with decreased clinical accuracy. Clinical utility was independent of tumor type. No single characteristic predicted increased probability of open biopsy. The clinical utility rate was acceptable, but below published accuracy rates. The combination of both biopsies was better than FNA alone. Myxoid findings rarely helped to guide definitive treatment. Treatment decision making requires balancing biopsy results with clinical data., Level of Evidence: Diagnostic study, level IV.

Desmoid tumors, also known as aggressive fibromatosis, are rare fibroblastic tumors that exhibit a wide range of local aggressiveness, from largely indolent to locally destructive. Understanding of the pathogenesis and the great heterogeneity in the natural history of desmoid tumors is invaluable to the development of therapeutic strategies. The optimal treatment protocol has not yet been established and, in many cases, a multidisciplinary approach including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy has been employed. The rarity of cases in even major tumor centers has traditionally limited the ability to study this disease. Several novel pharmacologic and biologic treatment approaches are actively being developed, although long-term follow-up is needed for their substantiation.

Unlabelled: Grade III Campanacci lesions are traditionally treated with wide resections based on their postulated aggressiveness and potential for local recurrence and metastasis. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in local recurrence rates of Grade II and III lesions treated with intralesional curettage, burring, phenol cauterization, and polymethylmethacrylate application. Sixty-three patients (26 Campanacci Grade II and 37 Grade III lesions) met the inclusion criteria. No pathologic fractures, including intraarticular fractures, were included in this study. Followup averaged 108 months (range, 25-259 months). The overall local recurrence rate was 6% (4 of 63 patients), with no observed difference between Grade II and III lesions. The average Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional score was 27.9/30 (93%). The mean range of motion of the adjacent joint was 97%. Patients with radiographic signs of osteoarthritis before treatment did not show substantial progression, and only one patient developed radiographic signs of degenerative arthritis postoperatively. Our distal metastatic rate was 3.2%. These data support the use of intralesional curettage and burring with adjuvant phenol and polymethylmethacrylate even in Grade III lesions, in the absence of pathologic fracture, regardless of the presence or extent of extraosseous extension., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level III-1 (retrospective cohort). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Unlabelled: Our primary goal in doing this study was to determine the effect of prosthesis location, patient age, periprosthetic infection, and primary versus revision placement on endoprosthetic survival. We also examined our endoprosthetic survival rates and reasons for failure. We retrospectively studied 139 endoprosthetic reconstructions performed between 1984 and 2002, including 57 distal femur, 27 proximal femur, 26 proximal tibia, 17 proximal humerus, 4 distal humerus, 3 total scapula, 3 total femur, and 2 total humerus reconstructions. Location of reconstruction and presence of periprosthetic infection significantly affected endoprosthetic survival. Survival was not affected by patient age or primary versus revision placement. Overall, Kaplan-Meier event-free endoprosthetic survival was 86%, 80%, and 69% at 3, 5, and 10-year followup. The trend for endoprosthetic survival from best to worst was proximal femur, proximal humerus, distal femur, proximal tibia, and distal humerus. Reasons for failure included mechanical failure (eight patients), tumor recurrence (eight patients), aseptic loosening (six patients), dislocation (two patients), periprosthetic infection (two patients), and endoprosthetic malalignment (one patient). Our periprosthetic infection rate was 2.2%. The local recurrence rate in patients treated for primary malignant tumors was 6.8%, similar to previous limb-salvage and amputation studies. Overall, we have found that endoprosthetic reconstruction is a reliable limb-salvage technique., Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level IV-2 (case series). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Unlabelled: Hibernomas are rare, benign, soft tissue tumors of brown fat. Despite being benign, we have experienced recurrent hibernomas and cases of significant bleeding at our institution. The current literature contains case reports of recurrence, and one large series that describes pathologic variants but contains little clinical data. We could not find data on bleeding. We hypothesized that recurrence is related to the resection type and/or the pathologic variant. We also postulated that atypical histologic findings correlate with excessive bleeding during excision. We sought to confirm that the MRI features of hibernomas could distinguish them from lipomas yet place them among lipomatous tumors. We retrospectively reviewed all hibernomas at our institution over 10 years. There were six hibernomas. Two were removed with a marginal excision and four with an intralesional excision. Two recurred after intralesional surgery. Histologic findings were typical for all patients. An MRI was available on only one patient and showed a fatty tumor that was distinguishable from a lipoma. Recurrences occurred after intralesional but not after marginal excisions. Histology could not predict recurrence. Hibernomas have the potential for significant bleeding during surgical excision, as seen in two of our cases., Level of Evidence: Prognostic study, Level IV (case series). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Ewing's sarcoma of bone and osteosarcoma are rare tumors. A combination of high-grade osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma of bone in anatomically unrelated sites is unique, especially in the absence of previous radiation or retinoblastoma. We present a patient with a rare case of Ewing's sarcoma of the scapula that showed no evidence of recurrence (after 10 years of continued followup) and who subsequently presented with a primary osteosarcoma of the femur.