Eduardo Antônio de Figueiredo

Clinical Considerations for the Surgical Treatment of Pectoralis Major Muscle Ruptures Based on 60 Cases A Prospective Study and Literature Review

Background: Early recognition of the clinical signs of ruptures of the pectoralis major muscle (PMM) in athletes by orthopaedic surgeons, physical therapists, and physical trainers may prove to be critical for patient access to surgical treatment while the injury is still in the acute phase. Hypothesis: Total ruptures of the PMM may yield a better outcome with surgical treatment than with nonoperative treatment in athletes. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A prospective study was performed on 60 patients with total ruptures of the PMM. The patients were followed from 1997 to 2012, with a physical examination every 6 months for the first 2 years and every 12 months thereafter. The patients’ mean age was 31.21 years, and the mean length of follow-up was 48.25 months. The surgical treatment methods included reinsertion of the tendon in 51% of the patients and nonoperative treatment in 49% of the patients. All of the patients were evaluated using the Bak criteria. Results: The bench-press exercise was associated with 80% of the PMM ruptures (48 patients). Forty-one of the patients with chronic ruptures were seen after 3 months (80%). The outcomes were poor in 9 patients from the nonoperative group (31%) and in 3 patients from the surgical group (9.7%); the outcomes were fair in 12 patients from the nonoperative group and in no patients from the surgical group. Excellent results were not observed in any patient from the nonoperative group and were observed in 21 patients from the surgical group (67.7%). The isokinetic evaluation at 60 deg/s showed a decrease in strength of 41.7% in the nonsurgical group and 14.3% for the surgical group, which was significant at P < .05. Conclusion: Total ruptures of the PMM exhibit better outcomes with surgical treatment than with nonoperative treatment based on the Bak criteria in athletes.

Identification of Suitable Reference Genes for Gene Expression Studies in Tendons from Patients with Rotator Cuff Tear

Rotator cuff tear is one of the most common causes of shoulder dysfunction. Gene expression analysis may be a useful tool for understanding tendon tears and the failure of cuff healing, and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) has become an effective method for such studies. However, this technique requires the use of suitable reference genes for data normalization. Here, we evaluate the suitability of six reference genes (18S, ACTB, B2M, GAPDH, HPRT1 and TBP) using samples from the rotator cuff tendons of 28 individuals with tendon tears (3 tendons regions) and 8 controls (2 tendon regions); for the tear patients, we evaluated ruptured and non-ruptured tendon samples. The stability of the candidate reference genes was determined using the NormFinder, geNorm, BestKeeper and DataAssist software packages. Overall, HPRT1 was the best single reference gene, and HPRT1+TBP composed the best pair and HPRT1+TBP+ACTB composed the best trio of reference genes from the analysis of different groups, including the simultaneous analysis of all tissue samples. To identify the optimal combination of reference genes, we evaluated the expression of COL1A1 and COL3A1, and no obvious differences were observed when using 2, 3 or 4 reference genes for most of the analyses. However, COL3A1 expression differed between ruptured and non-ruptured (posterior superior region) tendons of patients only when normalized by HPRT1+TBP+B2M and HPRT1+TBP. On the other hand, the comparison between these two groups using the best trio of reference genes (HPRT1+TBP+ACTB) and 4 reference genes did not revealed a significant difference in COL3A1 expression. Consequently, the use of suitable reference genes for a reliable gene expression evaluation by RT-qPCR should consider the type of tendon samples investigated. HPRT1+TBP+ACTB seems to be the best combination of reference genes for the analysis of involving different tendon samples of individuals with rotator cuff tears.

Gene expression analysis in patients with traumatic anterior shoulder instability suggests deregulation of collagen genes

Shoulder dislocation occurs in 1–2% of the population. Capsular deformation is a key factor in shoulder dislocation; however, little is known about capsule biology. We evaluated, for the first time in literature, the expression of COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1 and COL5A1 in the antero‐inferior, antero‐superior and posterior regions of the glenohumeral capsule of 31 patients with anterior shoulder instability and eight controls. The expression of collagen genes was evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription‐PCR. The expression of COL1A1, COL3A1 and the ratio of COL1A1/COL1A2 were increased in all three portions of the capsule in patients compared to controls (p < 0.05). COL1A2 expression was upregulated in the antero‐superior and posterior sites of the capsule of patients (p < 0.05). The ratio of COL1A2/COL3A1 expression was reduced in capsule antero‐inferior and posterior sites of patients compared to controls (p < 0.05). In the capsule antero‐inferior site of patients, the ratios of COL1A1/COL5A1, CO1A2/COL5A1 and COL3A1/COL5A1 expression were increased (p < 0.05). In patients, COL1A1/COL5A1 was also increased in the posterior site (p < 0.05). We found deregulated expression of collagen genes across the capsule of shoulder instability patients. These molecular alterations may lead to modifications of collagen fibril structure and impairment of the healing process, possibly with a role in capsular deformation.

Identification of suitable reference genes for gene expression studies of shoulder instability.

Shoulder instability is a common shoulder injury, and patients present with plastic deformation of the glenohumeral capsule. Gene expression analysis may be a useful tool for increasing the general understanding of capsule deformation, and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) has become an effective method for such studies. Although RT-qPCR is highly sensitive and specific, it requires the use of suitable reference genes for data normalization to guarantee meaningful and reproducible results. In the present study, we evaluated the suitability of a set of reference genes using samples from the glenohumeral capsules of individuals with and without shoulder instability. We analyzed the expression of six commonly used reference genes (ACTB, B2M, GAPDH, HPRT1, TBP and TFRC) in the antero-inferior, antero-superior and posterior portions of the glenohumeral capsules of cases and controls. The stability of the candidate reference gene expression was determined using four software packages: NormFinder, geNorm, BestKeeper and DataAssist. Overall, HPRT1 was the best single reference gene, and HPRT1 and B2M composed the best pair of reference genes from different analysis groups, including simultaneous analysis of all tissue samples. GenEx software was used to identify the optimal number of reference genes to be used for normalization and demonstrated that the accumulated standard deviation resulting from the use of 2 reference genes was similar to that resulting from the use of 3 or more reference genes. To identify the optimal combination of reference genes, we evaluated the expression of COL1A1. Although the use of different reference gene combinations yielded variable normalized quantities, the relative quantities within sample groups were similar and confirmed that no obvious differences were observed when using 2, 3 or 4 reference genes. Consequently, the use of 2 stable reference genes for normalization, especially HPRT1 and B2M, is a reliable method for evaluating gene expression by RT-qPCR.

Anatomic study of the coracoid process: safety margin and practical implications.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to define a safety margin for coracoid process osteotomy that does not compromise the coracoclavicular ligaments and that can be used in the coracoid transfer procedures. METHODS Thirty shoulders from 15 cadavers were dissected, exposing the coracoid process and attached anatomic structures. The distance of the insertion of these structures to the coracoid process apex was measured. RESULTS The average length of the coracoid process was 4.26 ± 0.26 cm. The average width and height at the tip were 2.11 ± 0.2 and 1.49 ± 0.12 cm, respectively. The average distance from the tip to the anterior and posterior margin of the pectoralis minor was 0.1 ± 1.17 and 1.59 ± 0.27 cm, respectively. The average distance from the tip to the posterior margin of the coracoacromial ligament was 2.79 ± 0.33 cm. The average distance from the apex to the most anterior part of the trapezoid ligament was 3.33 ± 0.38 cm. We obtained a constant value of 0.85 cm for this measure, and the value increased with each 1.0-cm increase in the distance from the tip to the posterior margin of the pectoralis minor. The safety margin for osteotomy (i.e., available bone distance for the coracoid process transfer) was 2.64 cm. CONCLUSIONS This study established a safety margin of 2.64 cm for the osteotomy of the coracoid process and its relation with the posterior margin of the pectoralis minor. The anatomic descriptions of bone and soft tissue, as well as a measure of correlation for the safety margin of the coracoid, provide tools for surgeons performing anatomic surgical procedures to correct glenohumeral instability with significant bone loss. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Knowing the safety margin allows the surgeon to perform a safe osteotomy without direct visualization of the coracoclavicular ligaments attachments, thereby making procedures more anatomic.

Estudo prospectivo randomizado comparativo entre os tratamentos cirúrgico utilizando placa anterior e o não cirúrgico das fraturas do terço médio da clavícula

OBJETIVO: Comparar os tratamentos nao cirurgico e cirurgico com placa anterior, atraves da avaliacao funcional dos pacientes portadores de fraturas do terco medio de clavicula apos 12 meses de seguimento. METODOS: Realizou-se estudo prospectivo, durante o periodo de agosto de 2005 a janeiro de 2007; 50 pacientes portadores de fratura do terco medio de clavicula com desvio foram aleatoriamente divididos em dois grupos. Entre os pacientes 10 foram excluidos da amostra devido a perda de seguimento. O grupo 1 foi submetido ao tratamento cirurgico por meio de reducao e fixacao da clavicula com placa anterior. Ja o grupo 2 foi tratado com uso de tipoia. Apos o periodo minimo de 12 meses de seguimento, foi realizada analise comparativa, utilizando-se como parâmetros funcionais as escalas da AAOS e da UCLA. RESULTADOS: A media de idade foi de aproximadamente 30 anos (variando de 18 a 58 anos), com 77,5% dos pacientes do sexo masculino. O lado mais frequentemente acometido foi o direito (55%), sendo nestes pacientes o ombro dominante. O mecanismo de trauma encontrado com maior frequencia foi o acidente de trânsito (75% dos casos). Pelos criterios da UCLA, o grupo 1 teve 91,5% dos pacientes com resultado considerado satisfatorio (bom e excelente), enquanto que o grupo 2 apresentou 81,25%. O retorno ao trabalho e as atividades cotidianas foi mais rapido no grupo 1, com media de 8,67 semanas, comparando-se com 15,13 semanas no grupo 2. Como complicacoes podemos citar no grupo 1: cicatriz hipertrofica (12,5%), pseudartrose (8,3%), dor residual (8,3%), soltura de material (4,1%). Ja no grupo 2: deformidade estetica (43,75%), capsulite adesiva (12,5%) e pseudartrose (6,25%). CONCLUSOES: O tratamento cirurgico proporcionou, apos 12 meses de acompanhamento, retorno mais rapido as atividades cotidianas, com resultados funcionais pela escala da UCLA percentualmente maior, porem nao estatisticamente significativo, comparado com o tratamento nao cirurgico.

Expression analysis of genes involved in collagen cross-linking and its regulation in traumatic anterior shoulder instability

The molecular alterations involved in the capsule deformation presented in shoulder instability patients are poorly understood. Increased TGFβ1 acts as a signal for production of matrix macromolecules by fibrogenic cells at joint injury sites. TGFβ1, through its receptor TGFβR1, regulates genes involved in collagen cross‐linking, such as LOX, PLOD1, and PLOD2. We evaluated TGFβ1, TGFβR1, LOX, PLOD1, and PLOD2 gene expression in the antero‐inferior (macroscopically injured region), antero‐superior and posterior regions of the glenohumeral capsule of 29 shoulder instability patients and eight controls. We observed that PLOD2 expression was increased in the anterior‐inferior capsule region of the patients compared to controls. LOX expression tended to be increased in the posterior portion of patients. Patients with recurrent shoulder dislocation presented upregulation of TGFβR1 in the antero‐inferior capsule portion and of PLOD2 in the posterior region. Conversely, LOX was increased in the posterior portion of the capsule of patients with a single shoulder dislocation episode. In the antero‐inferior, LOX expression was inversely correlated and TGFβR1 was directly correlated with the duration of symptoms. In the posterior region, PLOD2, TGFβ1, and TGFβR1 were directly correlated with the duration of symptoms. In conclusion, PLOD2 expression was increased in the macroscopically injured region of the capsule of patients. Upregulation of TGFβ1, TGFβR1, and PLOD2 seems to be related with the maintenance of disease symptoms, especially in the posterior region. LOX upregulation seems to occur only in the initial phase of the affection. Therefore, TGFβ1, TGFβR1, LOX, and PLOD2 may play a role in shoulder instability.

The roles of Tenascin C and Fibronectin 1 in adhesive capsulitis: a pilot gene expression study

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated mRNA expression levels of genes that encode TGF-β1; the TGF-β1 receptor; the collagen-modifying enzymes LOX, PLOD1, and PLOD2; and the extracellular matrix proteins COMP, FN1, TNC and TNXB in synovial/capsule specimens from patients with idiopathic adhesive capsulitis. Possible associations between the measured mRNA levels and clinical parameters were also investigated. METHODS: We obtained glenohumeral joint synovium/capsule specimens from 9 patients with idiopathic adhesive capsulitis who had not shown improvement in symptoms after 5 months of physiotherapy. Adhesive capsulitis was confirmed in all patients by magnetic resonance imaging. We also obtained specimens from 8 control patients who had underwent surgery for acute acromioclavicular joint dislocation and who had radiological indication of glenohumeral capsule alteration based on arthroscopic evaluation. mRNA expression in the synovium/capsule specimens was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The B2M and HPRT1 genes were used as references to normalize target gene expression in the shoulder tissue samples. RESULTS: The synovium/capsule samples from the patients with adhesive capsulitis had significantly higher TNC and FN1 expression than those from the controls. Additionally, symptom duration directly correlated with expression of TGFβ1 receptor I. CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of TNC and FN1 expression may be a marker of capsule injury. Upregulation of TGFβ1 receptor I seems to be dependent on symptom duration; therefore, TGFβ signaling may be involved in adhesive capsulitis. As such, TNC, FN1 and TGFβ1 receptor I may also play roles in adhesive capsulitis by contributing to capsule inflammation and fibrosis.

Partial rotator cuff injury in athletes: bursal or articular?

A painful shoulder is a very common complaint among athletes, especially in the case of those in sports involving throwing. Partial lesions of the rotator cuff may be very painful and cause significant functional limitation to athletes’ sports practice. The incidence of partial lesions of the cuff is variable (13–37%). It is difficult to make the clinical and radiological diagnosis, and this condition should be borne in mind in the cases of all athletes who present symptoms of rotator cuff syndrome, including in patients who are diagnosed only with tendinopathy. Objective To evaluate the epidemiological behavior of partial lesions of the rotator cuff in both amateur and professional athletes in different types of sports. Methods We evaluated 720 medical files on athletes attended at the shoulder service of the Discipline of Sports Medicine at the Sports Traumatology Center, Federal University of São Paulo. The majority of them were men (65%). Among all the patients, 83 of them were diagnosed with partial lesions of the rotator cuff, by means of ultrasonography or magnetic resonance, or in some cases using both. We applied the binomial test to compare the proportions found. Result It was observed that intra-articular lesions predominated (67.6%) and that these occurred more frequently in athletes in sports involving throwing (66%). Bursal lesions occurred in 32.4% of the athletes, predominantly in those who did muscle building (75%). Conclusion Intra-articular lesions are more frequent than bursal lesions and they occur predominantly in athletes in sports involving throwing, while bursal lesions were more prevalent in athletes who did muscle building.

Rotator cuff injuries: current perspectives and trends for treatment and rehabilitation

Objective To map out the approaches used by Brazilian orthopedists in treating complete tears of the rotator cuff. Methods A multiple-choice questionnaire was handed out to 232 orthopedists at the 45th Brazilian Congress of Orthopedics and Traumatology. Of these, 207 were returned but five were incomplete and were excluded. Thus, 202 questionnaires were used. Results Among the orthopedists who answered the questionnaires, around 60% were from the southeastern region and 46% were shoulder and elbow surgeons. There was a significant association (p < 0.05) between length of experience and number of rotator cuff repairs performed per year. There was also a significant association (p < 0.05) between shoulder specialty and the following variables: arthroscopic technique, use of anchors in a single-row configuration, mean time taken for an indication for surgery to be made in cases of traumatic and degenerative lesions, use of a specific protocol for postsurgical rehabilitation, return to sport and indication of irreparable injuries. Conclusions Brazilian shoulder surgeons have well-established approaches toward treating rotator cuff injuries. Most of these approaches differ significantly from those of other specialties. This shows the importance of placing value on training in preparing shoulder specialists in this country.