M Laubscher

GeneXpert polymerase chain reaction for spinal tuberculosis: an accurate and rapid diagnostic test

The lack of an accurate, rapid diagnostic test for mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) is a major handicap in the management of spinal TB. GeneXpert, a new, rapid molecular diagnostic test is recommended as the first line investigation for suspected pulmonary TB in areas with a high prevalence of HIV or drug resistance, yet it has not been validated for the diagnosis of musculoskeletal TB. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of GeneXpert in diagnosing spinal TB. A prospective clinical study of 69 consecutive adults with suspected spinal TB was conducted at a tertiary hospital in an area with the highest incidence and prevalence of TB in the world. GeneXpert was used on tissue samples of the enrolled patients and its diagnostic accuracy compared with a reference standard of tissue in liquid culture. A total of 71 spine samples from 69 patients (two re-biopsies) were included in the study. The GeneXpert test showed a sensitivity of 95.6% and specificity of 96.2% for spinal TB. The results of the GeneXpert test were available within 48 hours compared with a median of 35 days (IQR 15 to 43) for cultures. All cases of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR TB) were diagnosed accurately with the GeneXpert test. The MDR TB rate was 5.8%.

CONSERVATIVE TREATMENT OF FRACTURES OF THE PROXIMAL PHALANX: AN OPTION EVEN FOR UNSTABLE FRACTURE PATTERNS

PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to assess the efficacy of the conservative management of proximal phalangeal fractures in a dorsal plaster slab. METHODS Twenty-three consecutive patients with extra-articular proximal phalangeal fractures were included in this prospective study. Fourteen patients (62%) presented with fractures considered unstable. The fractures were reduced and the position was held with a dorsal plaster slab for three weeks. The patients were followed up for an average of seven weeks (range 2 to 45) after the injury. Range of motion of the finger and radiological evidence of union, non-union or malunion was documented after removal of the plaster. RESULTS Ninety-one percent of fractures maintained an acceptable reduction. All cases measured less than 15° of angulation. On average 1,1 mm of shortening was measured. In two (9%) cases the reduction was not accepted on follow up assessment and the fractures were managed surgically. CONCLUSION Most extra-articular proximal phalanx fractures can be managed conservatively with acceptable results.

Diagnostic Accuracy of the Xpert MTB/RIF Assay for Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis in Children With Musculoskeletal Infections.

Background: Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) is useful for the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in adults, but there is limited evidence on its usefulness in children. We aimed to investigate the accuracy of Xpert for the diagnosis of extrapulmonary TB in children with musculoskeletal infections. Methods: The diagnostic accuracy of Xpert was compared with a reference standard of culture or histopathology in children hospitalized with suspected osteoarticular TB in Cape Town, South Africa from June 2013 to May 2015. Results: One hundred and nine samples of 102 patients (60 male; 58.8%) with a median age of 5.6 years (interquartile range: 2.2–8.7) were included. There were 23 samples with confirmed TB by culture or histology (21.1%); histology was positive in all of these, while culture was positive in 14 samples (12.8%). Xpert was positive in 17 samples (15.6%), providing a sensitivity of 73.9% (95% confidence interval: 51.6–89.8) and specificity of 100% (95% confidence interval: 95.7–100). Xpert was positive at a mean of 0.8 days (0.46–1.4) compared with 21 days (19–30) for culture, P < 0.001. Multidrug-resistant TB was detected on culture in a single sample that was negative on Xpert testing. Conclusions: Xpert confirmed extrapulmonary TB of bone and joints more accurately and faster than culture and should be used as a first-line test. Histology remains a useful test for musculoskeletal TB in children.

The role of the intramedullary implant in limb lengthening

Limb lengthening is now an accepted practice in orthopaedic surgery. The principles of distraction osteogenesis have become well established with the use of external fixators, utilizing both monolateral and ring fixators. Corticotomy technique, frame stability, lengthening rate and rhythm all contribute to the formation of bone regenerate and tissues. Complications are however common including pin-site infection, soft tissue tethering from the pins and wires resulting in pain, regenerate deformity from soft tissue forces or fracture following frame removal and patient intolerance of the frames during treatment. Surgical techniques have changed to try and minimise these complications. The use of intramedullary nails have been used in conjunction with an external fixator or inserted after lengthening has been achieved, to reduce fixator time and prevent regenerate deformity. Implant innovation has led to the production of intramedullary lengthening nails. The initial devices used ratchet mechanisms with rotation of the bone fragments to achieve lengthening (Bliskunov, Albizzia and ISKD). More accurate control of lengthening and a reduction in pain, resulting from the manual rotation of the leg required to achieve the ratchet progression, was achieved by the use of a transcutaneous electrical conduit powered by external high frequency electrical energy (Fitbone). The most recent implant uses an external remote controller which contains two neodymium magnets. These are placed over the nail on the skin and rotate which in turn rotates a third magnet within the intramedullary nail (Precice). This magnet rotation is converted by a motor to extend or retract the extendible rod. There are multiple nail sizes and lengths available, and early results have shown accurate control with few complications. With such promising outcomes the use of this lengthening intramedullary nail is now recommended as the implant of choice in femoral lengthening. This article is an historical account of the intramedullary device and the impact on limb lengthening.

Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Tuberculosis in an Area with High Disease Prevalence

Study Design Retrospective observational study. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of age and site of infection in patients with musculoskeletal tuberculosis (TB) and determine the number of TB/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfections as well as the incidence of multidrugresistant (MDR) TB. Overview of Literature Of all TB cases, 1%–3% show skeletal system involvement and 30% are HIV coinfected. Although the reported distribution of skeletal TB is majorly in the spine, followed by the hip, knee, and foot/ankle, the epidemiology of extrapulmonary TB and especially musculoskeletal TB remains largely unknown, particularly in areas with a high prevalence of the disease. Methods This is a retrospective study of a consecutive series of patients admitted to a tertiary care facility in an area with the highest prevalence of TB worldwide. TB was confirmed on tissue biopsy with polymerase chain reaction testing (Xpert for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance), culturing, or histological analysis. Data were analyzed regarding demographic information, location of the disease, HIV coinfections, and drug resistance. Results In all, 125 patients (44 children; 35%) with a mean age of 27 years (range, 1–78 years) were included. Age peaks were observed at 5, 25, and 65 years. Spinal disease was evident in 98 patients (78%). There were 66 HIV-negative (53%) and 29 (23%) HIVpositive patients, and in 30 (24%), the HIV status was unknown. Five patients (4%) showed MDR TB. Conclusions The age distribution was trimodal, spinal disease was predominant, MDR TB rate in our cohort was high, and a large portion of TB patients in our hospital were HIV coinfected. Hence, spinal services with sufficient access to operating facilities are required for tertiary care facilities in areas with a high TB prevalence.

A retrospective review of a series of interposition arthroplasties of the elbow

Background Interposition arthroplasty (IA) is mostly performed in younger patients where total joint replacement is contraindicated and an arthrodesis is unattractive. The outcome and complications of an IA were evaluated. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 18 consecutive cases of interposition arthroplasty (IA) (one case was excluded as a result of incomplete records). Pre- and postoperative pain and function were evaluated. Complications, re-operations and revisions were recorded. Results The mean age was 41 years (range 19 years to 59 years) at time of surgery. The primary diagnosis was post-traumatic osteoarthritis in 12 cases and inflammatory arthritis in five cases. The median follow-up was 54 months (range 8 months to 120 months). In 15 cases, at least one re-operation was performed. Seven cases were revised, with four of these to a total elbow replacement, an arthrodesis was performed in two cases and a re-do interposition was carried out in one case. The median interval from the interposition to revision was 23 months (range 8 months to 88 months). In 10 patients with the interposition currently in situ, mean visual analogue scale score for pain improved from 7.4 to 2.4 and mean Mayo Elbow Performance Score improved from 42 to 76 points. Conclusions IA offered an improvement in pain and function but at a high cost. It is associated with a high complication rate the need for revision surgery.

Most Influential Literature in Spinal Tuberculosis: A Global Disease Without Global Evidence:

Study Design: Bibliometric review of the literature. Objective: This bibliometric analysis aims to give an overview of the most influential academic literature written on spinal tuberculosis. Methods: All databases included in the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge were searched for the most influential publications in spinal tuberculosis. The most cited articles published between 1950 and 2015, with the main focus on orthopedic surgery, were identified using a multistep approach, and a total of 100 articles were included. The publications were then analyzed in this bibliometric analysis. Results: The number of citations ranged from 243 to 36, with an average of 77.11. The articles were published in 34 different journals, and the studies were conducted in 20 different countries. The top 3 countries, India, the United States, and China, published a total of 51% (n = 51) of all articles. Low-burden countries produced 60% (n = 60) of all articles in our list. African centers produced only 4% (n = 4) of all included articles. Conclusions: Indian and Chinese researchers dominate evidence in spinal tuberculosis. Other areas with high disease burden, such as Africa, do not feature. Most publications are retrospective studies with a low level of evidence.

Surgical hip dislocation for removal of retained intra-articular bullets

INTRODUCTION Surgical hip dislocation with trochanteric osteotomy was introduced for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement and other intra-articular pathologies of the hip. We expanded the indications to include removal of retained bullets in the hip joint as an alternative to hip arthroscopy. PATIENTS AND METHODS We present a prospective case series of ten patients that were treated with a surgical hip dislocation for removal of retained bullets in the hip joint between January 2014 and October 2015 in a Level 1 trauma centre. The main outcome measurements were successful bullet removal, blood loss, surgical time and intraoperative complications. RESULTS There were 8 males and 2 females with a mean age of mean age 27.3 years (range 20-32). All patients had one whole retained bullet for removal (right side: 8; left side: 2). In all cases the bullet could be removed in its entirety. The average surgical time was 73min (range 55-125) and the average blood loss 255ml (range 200-420). CONCLUSIONS Surgical hip dislocation provides an unlimited view of the acetabulum and femoral head and neck and it therefore allows for easy removal of retained bullets. Osteocartilaginous lesions and concomitant fractures of the femoral head can be simultaneously evaluated and treated.

A neglected infection in literature: Childhood musculoskeletal tuberculosis - A bibliometric analysis of the most influential papers.

Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) is known to have a wide range of presentations, and if left untreated, primary TB may lead to bone and joint involvement. The literature on this topic is very scarce, and no comprehensive systematic review or meta-analysis of the current knowledge is available to date. The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the literature with highest impact based on citation rate analysis. All databases of the Thomson and Reuters “Web of Knowledge” were used to conduct our search of the 100 most cited articles on this topic published between 1950 and 2014. The included articles were analyzed in terms of citation rate, age, study type, area of research, level of evidence (LOE), and more. All 100 articles were published between 1967 and 2011 in 51 different journals. The average citation rate was 74.26, all articles were on average 23.1 years, and most studies were originated from India (n = 22), followed by the USA (n = 21). The majority of publications were review articles (42%), described clinical course (n = 48), and assigned an LOE IV (44%). TB infection is a high burden disease in low-income countries but widely studied in a fi rst world setup. This research gap between the geographic distribution of disease burden and origin of publications could initiate possibilities for high-burden countries to share their opinion. Their experience is of a high level of importance and relevance which furthermore is necessary to create a more accurate picture of pediatric musculoskeletal TB burden in literature.

Gunshot induced injuries in orthopaedic trauma research. A bibliometric analysis of the most influential literature

A growing burden of gunshot injuries demands evidence-based ballistic trauma management. No comprehensive systematic overview of the current knowledge is available to date. This study aims to identify and analyze the most influential publications in the field of orthopedic ballistic trauma research. All databases available in the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge were searched to conduct this bibliometrical study. The most cited orthopedic ballistic trauma articles published between 1950 and 2015 were identified by use of a multi-step approach. Publications with ten citations and more were analyzed for citations, journal, authorship, geographic origin, area of research, anatomical site, study type, study category, and level of evidence. Citations of the 128 included studies ranged from 113 to 10. These were published in fifty different journals between 1953 and 2011. Most publications (n=106; 83%) originated from the USA, were retrospective (n=85; 66.4%), level IV studies (n=90; 70.3%), reported on spinal gunshot injuries (n=49; 38.33%) and were published between 1980 and 2000 (n=111; 86.7%). This bibliometric study provides the first comprehensive overview of influential publications in the field of orthopedic ballistic trauma research. More prospective studies and high-quality systematic reviews are needed. Centres with a high burden of gunshot injuries from the developing world need to share their experience in form of international publications, to provide a more comprehensive picture of the global gun-related orthopedic injury burden. TYPE OF STUDY bibliometric analysis: level III.