Margaret M. Rich

Treatment of severe torsional malalignment syndrome.

Over a 7-year period (1984-1991), nine patients (aged 10-18 years) with 13 involved extremities were operatively treated for symptomatic severe torsional malalignment of the lower extremity and associated patellofemoral pathology. Physical examination and analysis of gait revealed severe rotational deformity characterized by excessive femoral anteversion and external tibial torsion. The cosmetic and functional pathologic effect of this torsional malalignment was centered about the knee joint. In all patients, conservative treatment, including therapy for muscle strengthening and nonsteroidal medication, was unsuccessful in alleviating suspected patellofemoral pain. Subsequent definitive operative treatment in all 13 extremities consisted of corrective osteotomies, internally rotating the distal part of the tibia or externally rotating the distal part of the femur or both. Osteotomies were performed as close to the knee joint as possible. No additional soft-tissue procedures were performed directly to affect patellar tracking. All osteotomies healed without complications. At an average follow-up of 2 years + 7 months (range, 18-48 months) overall, patients had an improvement in gait pattern, extremity appearance, and a marked decrease in knee pain.

Use of an intramedullary rod for treatment of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia: A long-term follow-up study

BACKGROUND The treatment of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia remains difficult and controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of a technique consisting of excision of the pseudarthrosis, autologous bone-grafting, and insertion of a Williams intramedullary rod into the tibia. METHODS Twenty-one consecutive patients with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia were managed with this technique between 1978 and 1999, and the results were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age of the patients at the time of the latest follow-up was 17.2 years (range, seven to twenty-five years), and the mean duration of postoperative follow-up was 14.2 years (range, three to twenty years). RESULTS Initial consolidation occurred in eighteen of the twenty-one patients. Refracture occurred in twelve patients; five fractures healed with closed treatment, five healed after an additional surgical procedure, and two ultimately required amputation. Ten patients had an ankle valgus deformity after tibial union. Eleven patients had a residual limb-length discrepancy of >2 cm; six required a contralateral distal femoral and/or proximal tibial epiphyseodesis, two had a tibial lengthening, and one used a shoe-lift. Five patients had an amputation: two, because of a recalcitrant fracture; two, because of a limb-length discrepancy (6 and 9 cm); and one, because of a chronic lower-extremity deformity. CONCLUSIONS This technique produced a satisfactory long-term functional outcome in sixteen of twenty-one patients and should be considered for the management of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia.

Use of an Intramedullary Rod for the Treatment of Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia

The use of an intramedullary rod as described by Williams, combined with implantation of an autogenous bone graft, resulted in union of an established congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia in nine of ten patients. One patient needed additional bone-grafting before union occurred. The average age at the time of the operation was five years and three months. A rod of the appropriate length was inserted at the site of the non-union, antegrade through the distal part of the tibia and the hindfoot and then retrograde through the proximal fragment. This resulted in splinting of the tibia, ankle, and subtalar joints. Solid osseous union occurred an average of six months after the procedure in all ten patients. Five patients had a refracture of the tibia after the initial consolidation. Three of the five needed one or more additional operative procedures; one was managed with a cast; and one patient, who had been followed for four years before the refracture, did not return for treatment of the refracture. As is the plan with this method of treatment, the distal part of the tibia grew off the rod and the distal tip of the rod was located proximal to the foot and ankle, or it was located more proximally than it had been at the operation, in six patients. The rod was removed from three patients. At an average of six years, all ten patients were able to walk without pain.

Peroneal nerve injury as a complication of pediatric tibial osteotomies: a review of 255 osteotomies.

A retrospective study of 255 consecutive tibial osteotomies performed for correction of frontal, sagittal, and rotational deformities in children is presented. Eleven (4.3%) peroneal neurapraxias were identified; seven were motor and sensory (2.7%), and four were sensory only (1.6%). In all cases, traction on the peroneal nerve, either by intraoperative retraction, or by anatomic displacement of the osteotomy fragments, was felt to produce the neurapraxia. There were no vascular injuries or compartment syndromes. Increased patient age, estimated blood loss and tourniquet time, difficulty in exposure, and male sex were associated with an increased risk of peroneal neurapraxia. Rotational osteotomies were of little risk for peroneal nerve injury, whereas angulatory osteotomies, particularly proximal procedures, were more prone to complication. Prophylactic anterior compartment release and fibular osteotomy are recommended to avoid anterior compartment syndrome after tibial osteotomy. In cases of persistent peroneal nerve palsy due to suspected anatomic traction and displacement, exploration of the peroneal nerve is warranted.

Painful Idiopathic Rigid Flatfoot in Children and Adolescents

Nine patients (13 feet) were identified whose primary complaints were of atraumatic-onset, chronic pain in the hindfoot exacerbated with increased activity and who had the diagnosis of idiopathic rigid flatfeet. Eight of 11 were greater than the 95th percentile in weight for their age. Exam under anesthesia showed moderate to significant improvement in hindfoot motion in 9 feet; 4 feet required fractional peroneal lengthenings. Only 5 of 11 patients have had sustained relief of pain and report unlimited activity level. Children and adolescents with painful idiopathic rigid flatfeet without known causation can have significant, persistent, disability and do not uniformly respond well to traditionally-described nonoperative interventions.

Combined midfoot osteotomy for severe forefoot adductus.

A one-stage procedure combining a closing wedge osteotomy of the cuboid with an opening wedge of the medial cuneiform was used for the treatment of severe forefoot adductus. Results were reviewed in 33 patients (50 feet) followed-up for at least 2 years postoperatively. Clinical and radiographic improvement in forefoot position was achieved in 90% of cases. The mean calcaneo–second metatarsal angle improved from 37° preoperatively to 18° at final follow-up. The mean talo–first metatarsal angle improved from 15° preoperatively to 3° at final follow-up. The medial to lateral column ratio demonstrated 33% improvement after surgical treatment. Two feet were unimproved because of graft migration. Patients younger than age 5 years without a well-defined medial cuneiform ossific nucleus had a high rate of medial graft extrusion with loss of correction. This procedure should be reserved for patients aged 5 years or older. Ten patients followed-up for more than 6 years had no deterioration in results. This procedure provides effective, safe, predictable, and lasting correction of forefoot adductus.

Interobserver and intraobserver reliability in the evaluation of mechanical axis deviation.

Background: The lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), the medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA), and the mechanical axis deviation (MAD) are commonly used in the evaluation of lower extremity deformities. The interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities of these measurements have not been evaluated. Methods: Three groups of observers with different levels of experience (5 attending pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, 5 orthopaedic chief residents, and 5 interns) measured the LDFA, MPTA, and MAD on 35 full-length standing anteroposterior teleroentgenograms (56extremities). Relatively equal numbers of extremities with varus, valgus, and normal alignments were chosen to represent a spectrum of lower extremities that might be encountered clinically. Measurements were performed in random order by each observer on 2 separate occasions separated by at least 2 weeks. Results: The interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities for each of the measurements regardless of the level of experience was greater than or equal to 0.90. The interobserver differences were slightly greater than the intraobserver differences for all measurements. The overall mean interobserver differences for angular and MAD measurements were within 1.6 degrees and 3.1 mm, respectively. The overall mean intraobserver differences for angular and MAD measurements were within 1.4 degrees and 1.9 mm, respectively. Reliability and mean differences were consistent regardless of the level of experience. Conclusions: Measurement of the LDFA, MPTA, and MAD demonstrated excellent intraobserver and interobserver reliabilities regardless of the experience of the observer.

Management of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease using an A-frame orthosis and hip range of motion: a 25-year experience.

Background: Containment treatment is widely accepted in the management of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Many reports indicate the need to regain hip motion before pelvic or femoral osteotomy, but have not indicated how osteotomy affected motion. Recent studies have suggested that osteotomy treatment of lateral pillar B hips may result in a higher proportion of spherical hips than those managed nonoperatively; however, outcomes for children older than 8 years of age or with pillar C involvement remain unsatisfactory. Methods: The records of all patients with a diagnosis of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease seen at our facility from 1985 through 2001 were reviewed. Two hundred and thirteen patients (175 males, 38 females), average age 6.4 years (range, 2.6 to 11.3 y), with 240 involved hips in the necrotic or the fragmentation stage were managed under a protocol to restore and maintain satisfactory hip abduction with an adductor tenotomy and abduction cast, followed by daily hip range-of-motion exercises and an A-frame orthosis to facilitate the concentric position of the epiphysis within the acetabulum. Assessment included measurement of hip abduction, femoral head sphericity and congruence, presence of femoral neck deformity, limb-length inequality, and later reconstructive surgical procedures. Hips were grouped by lateral pillar class (12A, 113B, 115C) and evaluated at maturity using a modified Stulberg grade. Results: All pillar A hips were spherically congruent. Of pillar B hips, 101 were spherically congruent, 8 were aspherical but congruent, and 4 were aspherical and incongruent. Of pillar C hips, 77 were spherically congruent, 26 were aspherical but congruent, and 12 were aspherical and incongruent. Age did not correlate with outcome. Hip abduction improved and was maintained in all groups. Conclusions: Treatment that restored and maintained hip range of motion along with the use of an A-frame orthosis resulted in a high proportion of spherically congruent hips for patients of all ages irrespective of the extent of disease. Seventy-eight percent of pillar B and C hips were spherically congruent hips at maturity; overall, 93% of hips were congruent. This regimen has supplanted all other methods of treatment at our institution. Level of Evidence: Level IV—case series.