Christine A. Ho

Risk factors for the development of delayed infections following posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.

Study Design. Retrospective comparison study of patients who had a delayed infection following a posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation (PSFI) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Objective. To define risk factors for the development of delayed infections following PSFI for AIS by comparing those patients who developed this complication to a randomly selected group of patients who did not. Summary of Background Data. Despite studies reporting the incidence and treatment of delayed infection following PSFI for AIS, there are no studies analyzing risk factors for its occurrence. Methods. All patients who required treatment for delayed infections following PSFI for AIS were identified (infection group, n = 36). A random selection of patients who did not develop a delayed infection (no infection, n = 90) was made in a ratio of 3:1 (no infection/infection). The 2 groups were compared using statistical methods. Results. Parameters associated with the infection group included: presence of a significant medical history, surgeon, less surgical time, a more distal fusion level (16% infection rate with a thoracic LIV vs. 33% infection rate with a lumbar LIV), not using postoperative drains, and increased drainage when drains were used. Other factors associated with infection were use of a blood transfusion and when increasing units of transfusion were used. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified 3 factors that remained statistically significant: 1) significant medical history, 2) receiving a blood transfusion, and 3) not using a postoperative drain. Factors that were not associated with delayed infection included body mass index, the number of anchor points used, use of allograft bone, and the total number of levels instrumented and antibiotic regimen. Conclusion. The occurrence of a delayed infection is most likely multifactorial and is related to a positive past medical history and the use of blood transfusions. Postoperative use of a drain may be important to avoid delayed infection.

Management of infection after instrumented posterior spine fusion in pediatric scoliosis.

Study Design. Case series retrospective review. Objective. To identify what factors predict successful eradication of infection after I&D of an infected posterior spinal fusion with instrumentation. Summary of Background Data. The treatment of infection of instrumented spine fusions in children has few clear guidelines in the literature. Methods. The medical records of patients who required a surgical irrigation and debridement (I&D) for infection after posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation for scoliosis from 1995 to 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. Results. Fifty-three patients were identified with the following underlying diagnoses: 21 patients (40%) idiopathic scoliosis, 10 patients (23%) cerebral palsy, 3 patients (6%) spina bifida, 1 patient (2%) congenital scoliosis, and 17 patients (32%) other. There were 31 patients (58%) with surgery <6 months from initial fusion, and 22 (42%) patients >6 months. Of the 43 patients with implant retained at the time of the first I&D, 20 patients required a second I&D (47%). Of the 10 patients with complete implant removal, 2 patients required a second I&D (20%). Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was the most prevalent organism, growing in 25 (47%) of the cultures. Of patients with idiopathic scoliosis, 8 of 21 (38%) required a second I&D; of the patients with other diagnoses, 14 of 32 (44%) required a second I&D, which was not a significant difference (P > 0.05). Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest reported series of spinal implant infections. When children with an infection after posterior spinal fusion with instrumentation undergo irrigation and debridement, there is a nearly 50% chance that the infection will remain if all spinal implants are not removed. As nearly 50% of the infections were caused by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, we recommend that prophylactic antibiotic coverage for this organism is used at the time of the initial spinal fusion.

Management of the pediatric pulseless supracondylar humeral fracture: Is vascular exploration necessary?

BACKGROUND Radically different conclusions exist in the pediatric orthopaedic and vascular literature regarding the management of patients with a pink hand but no palpable radial pulse in association with a supracondylar humeral fracture. METHODS One thousand two hundred and ninety-seven consecutive, operatively treated supracondylar humeral fractures in patients presenting to a level-I pediatric trauma center from January 2003 through December 2007 were studied retrospectively. Clinical records were reviewed to determine vascular and neurological examination findings, Gartland classification, timing of surgery, and postoperative complications. RESULTS One thousand two hundred and sixty-six patients had a documented radial pulse examination at the time of arrival in the emergency room; fifty-four (4%) of those patients lacked a palpable radial pulse. All fifty-four patients had type-3 fractures. Five (9%) of the fifty-four patients underwent open exploration of vascular structures on the basis of clinical findings of a pale hand, sluggish capillary refill, and/or weak or no pulse detected with use of Doppler ultrasound after closed reduction and percutaneous pinning. All five underwent vascular surgery to restore blood flow (two primary repairs, three saphenous vein grafts). Twenty (37%) of the fifty-four patients had a pulse documented with use of Doppler ultrasound and a pink hand after closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, but the radial pulse remained nonpalpable. These patients were observed in the hospital for signs of ischemia; one of the twenty patients required vascular repair after developing a pale hand nine hours after closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, and the other nineteen patients were also observed while they were in the hospital, and they all regained a palpable pulse either prior to discharge or by the time of the first postoperative visit. When compared with the group of patients with type-3 fractures for whom data regarding nerve examination were available, patients with type-3 fractures who lacked a palpable radial pulse had a higher rate of nerve palsy postoperatively (31% versus 9%, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS In this cohort, nearly 10% of patients who presented with a type-3 supracondylar humeral fracture and no palpable radial pulse underwent immediate vascular repair to restore blood flow following closed reduction and percutaneous pinning. However, in our series, the lack of a palpable radial pulse after closed reduction and percutaneous pinning was not an absolute indication to proceed with vascular exploration if clinical findings (i.e., Doppler signal and capillary refill) suggested that the limb was perfused. Careful inpatient monitoring of these patients postoperatively is mandatory to identify late-developing vascular compromise. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Long-term follow-up of progressive macrodystrophia lipomatosa : A report of two cases

Macrodystrophia lipomatosa is a rare form of congenital localized gigantism that is characterized by slowly progressive overgrowth of the mesenchymal elements, especially the fibroadipose tissue, in a limb1-3. The abnormal tissue is often found along the median nerve in the hand and the plantar nerves in the foot4,5. No causal link between hamartoma of a nerve and soft-tissue enlargement has been established, and evidence of nerve involvement is controversial. We report on two cases of macrodystrophia lipomatosa that caused progressive proximal enlargement along the posterior aspect of the left lower limb in one patient and along the anterior portion of the left upper limb in another. Our search of the literature revealed only one other previously reported case of such progressive enlargement, which was in a purely preaxial distribution6. Both of our patients were informed that information regarding their cases would be submitted for publication. Case 1. A four-month-old girl presented to the clinic with enlarged second and third toes on the left foot. The condition had been present at birth. The mothers pregnancy had been full term and unremarkable. There was no family history of limb malformations or neurofibromatosis. The patient was otherwise healthy and had a normal examination except for very enlarged second and third toes. Radiographs revealed increased soft-tissue density and enlargement of the second and third phalanges and metatarsals (Fig. 1-A). Resection of the second and third rays was performed when the patient was six months of age. Histologically, the resected specimens were enlarged but were otherwise normal in structure and had excessive amounts of normal-appearing adipose tissue. Postoperatively, the foot was noted to be similar in width and height to the contralateral, uninvolved foot. By three months after the operation, the mother noted enlargement …

Clinical characteristics of severe supracondylar humerus fractures in children.

Background: The safety of delayed surgical treatment of severe supracondylar elbow fractures in children remains debated. No large studies have evaluated complications of injury and surgery evaluating only type 3 fractures. Our aim was to review the results of our experience treating children with severe supracondylar elbow fractures at various time points after injury. Methods: All children treated operatively for supracondylar humerus fractures from 2004 to 2007 at a single pediatric trauma center were identified. A total of 1296 children had operative treatment, of which 872 had type 3 fractures. Clinical records were reviewed to identify time to surgery from presentation at our institution. Patients were grouped into 4 cohorts [<6 h (n=325), 6 to 12 h (n=224), 12 to 24 h (n=295), and >24 h (n=28)]. Emergency, operative, inpatient, and outpatient records were reviewed to determine morbidity at presentation as well as operative and postoperative complications. Results: There was no difference in sex, age, or energy mechanism between children in the various time groups. An absent pulse was found in 54 children (6%) at presentation, of which only 5 ultimately required a vascular intervention. Nerve injury occurred in 105 patients (12%). Use of a medial entry pin was not associated with ulnar nerve injury. Increased time from presentation to surgery was not associated with increased morbidity from the injury or treatment complications. In contrast, there was a trend to steady decrease in morbidity and complication rates with increased time to surgery. Conclusions: This is the largest single-center study of severe supracondylar humerus fractures and describes rates of vascular compromise, nerve injury, infection, and other complications of these injuries. Most children with type 3 supracondylar humerus fractures can be treated safely in a delayed manner. Appropriate clinical judgment is imperative to optimize outcomes. Level of Evidence: Level III—retrospective comparative study.

Operative treatment of type II supracondylar humerus fractures: does time to surgery affect complications?

Background: Because of the changing referral patterns, operative pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures are increasingly being treated at tertiary referral centers. To expedite patient flow, type II fractures are sometimes pinned in a delayed manner. We sought to determine if delay in surgical treatment of modified Gartland type II supracondylar humerus fractures would affect the rate of complications following closed reduction and percutaneous pinning. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of a consecutive series of 399 modified Gartland type II supracondylar fractures treated operatively at a tertiary referral center over 4 years. Mean patient age in the type II group was 5 years (range, 1 to 15 y). A total of 48% were pinned within 24 hours, 52% pinned >24 hours after the injury. Results: No difference was in detected in rates of major complications between the early and delayed treatment group. Four percent of patients sustained a complication (16 patients). There were no compartment syndromes, vascular injuries, or permanent nerve injuries. Complications included nerve injury (3), physical therapy referral for stiffness (3), pin site infection (2 treated with oral antibiotics, 4 treated with debridement), refracture (2), and loss of fixation or broken hardware (2). Of the 3 patients who sustained nerve injuries, all underwent surgery within 24 hours of injury. One patient developed an ulnar motor and sensory nerve palsy after fixation with crossed K-wires. This resolved by 7 weeks postoperatively. Two patients presented with an anterior interosseous nerve palsy—1 resolved 1 week after surgery, the other by 8 weeks postoperatively. Conclusions: Delay in surgery did not result in an increased rate of major complications following closed reduction and percutaneous pinning of type II supracondylar humerus fractures in children. Further prospective work is necessary to determine if there are subtle treatment benefits from emergent treatment of type II supracondylar humerus fractures. Level of Evidence: Level III—retrospective comparative series.

Acute complications associated with removal of flexible intramedullary femoral rods placed for pediatric femoral shaft fractures.

Background: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons position statement on the treatment of pediatric femoral shaft fractures could not comment on the safety of flexible intramedullary (IM) rod removal because of a lack of published evidence. This study reviews the acute complications of flexible IM rod removal from pediatric patients treated for femoral shaft fractures. Methods: A retrospective clinical and radiographic analysis at a single institution over a 5-year period. Demographic and radiographic parameters were analyzed to determine their influence on intraoperative and immediate postoperative complications. Results: One hundred sixty-three subjects (133 males, 30 females), mean age of 9.3±2.8 years (range, 2.7 to 14.8 y) and mean weight of 34.4±15.3 kg (range, 14.0 to 139.0 kg), underwent femoral flexible IM rod removal a mean 12.4±10.8 months (range, 2.4 to 63.8 mo) after placement with mean operative time of 51.1±22.3 minutes (range, 10 to 131 min). One hundred fifty-one subjects (92.6%) had stainless-steel Ender rods and the remaining nails were titanium. There were no significant demographic, intraoperative, or radiographic differences comparing subjects with Ender versus titanium rods. Indications for rod removal were pain at insertion site, family request, or surgeon’s recommendation. There were 4 (2.5%) minor intraoperative difficulties, including the inability to remove 1 of 2 rods secondary to IM migration (n=1) and complete bone overgrowth at insertion site resulting in prolonged extraction time (n=3). Three of the 4 subjects had the rods placed >60 months before removal. Immediately postoperative (n=134), there were 4 (3.0%) complications, including superficial wound infection (n=3, 2.2%) and knee contracture (n=1, 0.8%). Subjects were released to full activities at a mean 4.7±1.8 weeks postoperatively with no known postoperative fractures. Conclusions: The rate of intraoperative and immediate postoperative complications is low. Neither patient demographics, fracture characteristics, nor operative technique influenced the complication rate. Intraoperative difficulties may be minimized with removal of rods before signs of overgrowth. Levels of Evidence: Level IV, intervention case series

Increased severity of type III supracondylar humerus fractures in the preteen population.

Background: Supracondylar humerus fractures are the most common operative fractures in children; however, no studies describe the older child with this injury. The purpose of this study was to compare Gartland type III supracondylar humerus fractures in children older than 8 years of age with those in younger children than age 8. We hypothesized that there would be more complications in older children, reflecting a higher-energy injury mechanism. Methods: A retrospective chart review of supracondylar humerus fractures managed at a single level I pediatric trauma institution from 2004 to 2007 was performed. Patients with type III fractures were divided into groups based on age at presentation greater or less than 8. Baseline demographics, fracture characteristics, mechanism of injury, operative technique, and complications were analyzed. Results: A consecutive series of 1297 pediatric patients with surgically treated supracondylar humerus fractures was retrospectively reviewed including 873 (67.3%) type III fractures. Of those, 160 (18.3%) patients were older than age 8 at time of injury. Older children were more likely to have fractures from high-energy mechanisms (45.1% vs. 28.7%, P<0.001) and more open fracture (3.8% vs. 1.3%, P=0.0097). There was no difference in preoperative or iatrogenic neuropraxias between groups. There was a shorter delay between presentation and surgery in older children (mean, 217 vs. 451 min, P<0.0001). Three or more pins were used more often in older patients (61.8% in older children vs. 43.6% in younger children, P<0.0001). Major complications including reoperation, loss of fixation, or compartment syndrome were rare in both groups (1.1% in younger group vs. 0.6% in older group, P=1.000). There was a trend toward more pin site infections in older children (3.75% vs. 1.56%, P=0.071). Physical therapy was required nearly 4 times more frequently in older children for management of residual stiffness (20.0% vs. 5.7%, P<0.0001). Conclusions: Children older than 8 years of age have a higher rate of open supracondylar humerus fractures, although nerve injury rates are similar. Surgeons placed more pins for fixation of fractures in older patients and elbow stiffness requiring physical therapy occurred more commonly after surgical intervention. Evidence: III Retrospective cohort.

Neurological and vascular injury associated with supracondylar humerus fractures and ipsilateral forearm fractures in children.

Background: Approximately 5% of supracondylar humerus fractures in children are associated with an ipsilateral forearm fracture, often referred to as a floating elbow when both injuries are displaced. Historically, these patients have higher complication rates than patients with an isolated supracondylar humerus fracture. The purpose of this study was to review the acute neurologic and vascular injuries in patients with ipsilateral, operative supracondylar humerus and forearm fractures and compare the findings with a cohort of isolated, operative supracondylar humerus fractures. Methods: We performed an IRB-approved, retrospective review of all pediatric patients with ipsilateral, operative supracondylar humerus and forearm fractures from a single institution and compared our findings to a cohort of isolated, operative supracondylar humerus fractures. Results: A total of 150 patients with operative supracondylar humerus and ipsilateral forearm fractures were compared with 1228 patients with isolated, operative supracondylar humerus fractures. Twenty-two of the 150 (14.7%) floating elbow patients had documented pretreatment nerve palsies compared with 96/1228 (7.8%) of isolated injury patients (P=0.006). Eighteen of 22 nerve palsies were in patients with forearm fractures that required reduction. The overall incidence of nerve palsy was 18.9% (18/95) when a forearm fracture required reduction compared with only 7.3% (4/55) in a forearm fracture that was not reduced (P=0.05). We did not find a significant difference in the rate of pulseless extremities when comparing the ipsilateral (6/150 4%) and isolated (50/1228 4.1%) injury patients. No compartment syndromes were identified in any patient with an ipsilateral injury. Conclusions: The rate of acute neurologic injury in ipsilateral supracondylar humerus and forearm fractures is almost twice than that found in patients with isolated supracondylar humerus fractures. This rate increases further when the forearm fracture requires a manipulative reduction. The likelihood of a pulseless extremity was not dependent upon the presence of a forearm injury in our study. The presence of an ipsilateral forearm fracture should alert the surgeon to carefully assess the preoperative neurovascular status of patients with supracondylar humerus injuries. Level of Evidence: Level III.

The utility of knee releases in arthrogryposis.

Background: Knee contractures are difficult deformities to manage in arthrogryposis. There is little information regarding the long-term functional outcomes. Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of arthrogryposis who had knee releases performed at a single institution with at least 2 years of follow-up were identified retrospectively. Patients were called back prospectively for a clinical examination and administration of the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), and the WeeFIM instruments. Functional mobility was quantified using the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS). Results: Thirty-two patients were identified with a total of 50 knees. There were 45 flexion contractures and 5 extension contractures. Average length of follow-up was 11.9 years (range, 2.2-23.6 years). Amount of extension on final follow-up correlated with all final FMS scores (P < 0.02). The FMS demonstrated decreases in mobility as distance increased. Twenty-two of 32 patients completed functional outcomes measures. Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Mobility scores, Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) Mobility, and WeeFIM Self-Care scores were decreased compared with norms, and Normative PODCI scores at final follow-up showed significant impairment in Upper Extremity Function, Transfers/Mobility, Sports/Physical Function, and Global Function Domains. When patients were subdivided by length of follow-up, patients showed decline in scores for all FMS distances; PEDI Mobility Domains; WeeFIM Self-Care and Mobility Domains; and Transfer/Mobility, Sports/Physical Function, and Global Function Domains, as length of follow-up increased. Conclusions: Whereas knee releases may improve function in the short term, function and outcomes decline as patients age. Patients with arthrogryposis demonstrated significant impairment in normative scores for Upper Extremity/Physical Function, Transfers/Mobility, Sports/Physical Function, and Global Function Domains. In addition, function as measured by the PODCI, WeeFIM, and PEDI showed decreased scores as length of follow-up increased. We strongly advise that when counseling parents on this surgical intervention, parents are made aware that ambulatory ability may improve short term but may decline as patients age and contractures recur. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level 4