Saad B. Chaudhary

Complications of Ankle Fracture in Patients With Diabetes

Abstract Ankle fractures in patients with diabetes mellitus have long been recognized as a challenge to practicing clinicians. Complications of impaired wound healing, infection, malunion, delayed union, nonunion, and Charcot arthropathy are prevalent in this patient population. Controversy exists as to whether diabetic ankle fractures are best treated noninvasively or by open reduction and internal fixation. Patients with diabetes are at significant risk for soft‐tissue complications. In addition, diabetic ankle fractures heal, but significant delays in bone healing exist. Also, Charcot ankle arthropathy occurs more commonly in patients who were initially undiagnosed and had a delay in immobilization and in patients treated nonsurgically for displaced ankle fractures. Several techniques have been described to minimize complications associated with diabetic ankle fractures (eg, rigid external fixation, use of Kirschner wires or Steinmann pins to increase rigidity). Regardless of the specifics of treatment, adherence to the basic principles of preoperative planning, meticulous soft‐tissue management, and attention to stable, rigid fixation with prolonged, protected immobilization are paramount in minimizing problems and yielding good functional outcomes.

Postoperative Spinal Wound Infections and Postprocedural Diskitis

Abstract Background/Objective: Postprocedural infections are a significant cause of morbidity after spinal interventions. Methods: Literature review. An extensive literature review was conducted on postprocedural spinal infections. Relevant articles were reviewed in detail and additional case images were included. Results: Clinical findings, laboratory markers, and imaging modalities play important roles in the detection of postprocedural spinal infections. Treatment may range from biopsy and antibiotics to multiple operations with complex strategies for soft tissue management. Conclusions: Early detection and aggressive treatment are paramount in managing postprocedural spinal infections and limiting their long-term sequelae.

Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Factors in Choosing the Surgical Approach

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is a progressive disease and a common cause of acquired disability in the elderly. A variety of surgical interventions are available to halt or improve progression of the disease. Surgical options include anterior or posterior approaches with and without fusion. These include anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion, cervical disc replacement, laminoplasty, laminectomy with and without fusion, and combined approaches. Recent investigation into the ideal approach has not found a clearly superior choice, but individual patient characteristics can guide treatment.

Management of Acute Spinal Fractures in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a multifactorial and polygenic rheumatic condition without a well-understood pathophysiology (Braun and Sieper (2007)). It results in chronic pain, deformity, and fracture of the axial skeleton. AS alters the biomechanical properties of the spine through a chronic inflammatory process, yielding a brittle, minimally compliant spinal column. Consequently, this patient population is highly susceptible to unstable spine fractures and associated neurologic devastation even with minimal trauma. Delay in diagnosis is not uncommon, resulting in inappropriate immobilization and treatment. Clinicians must maintain a high index of suspicion for fracture when evaluating this group to avoid morbidity and mortality. Advanced imaging studies in the form of multidetector CT and/or MRI should be employed to confirm the diagnosis. Initial immobilization in the patients preinjury alignment is mandatory to prevent iatrogenic neurologic injury. Both nonoperative and operative treatments can be employed depending on the patients age, comorbidities, and fracture stability. Operative techniques must be individually tailored for this patient population. A multidisciplinary team approach is best with preoperative nutritional assessment and pulmonary evaluation.

Traumatic atlantoaxial dislocation with Hangman fracture.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Traumatic bilateral-atlantoaxial dislocations are rare injuries. Hangman fractures, conversely, represent 4% to 7% of all cervical fractures and frequently involve a combination C1-C2 fracture pattern. Presently, there is no report in the English literature of a traumatic C2-spondylolisthesis associated with a C1-C2 rotatory dislocation. This injury complex cannot be cataloged using current classification schemes and no established treatment recommendations exist. PURPOSE To report a unique case of a Hangman fracture associated with bilateral C1-C2 rotatory-dislocation, which does not fit into existing classification systems, and discuss our treatment approach. STUDY DESIGN A clinical case report and review of the literature. METHODS Chart review and analysis of relevant literature. There were no study-specific conflicts of interest. RESULTS A 26-year-old man sustained a traumatic C2-spondylolisthesis along with C1-C2 rotatory subluxation in an automobile collision. The patient was originally placed in a halo crown and vest and then taken for an open reduction and stabilization through a posterior approach for persistent C1-C2 subluxation. The patient is currently 16 months postoperative and back to work as a plumber. CONCLUSIONS The injury complex encountered cannot be described using the available classification systems. Our treatment included initial stabilization with halo placement, followed by a posterior C1, C2, and C3 segmental reduction and fixation resulting in radiographic fusion and a good clinical outcome.

Zinc has insulin-mimetic properties which enhance spinal fusion in a rat model.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Previous studies have found that insulin or insulin-like growth factor treatment can stimulate fracture healing in diabetic and normal animal models, and increase fusion rates in a rat spinal fusion model. Insulin-mimetic agents, such as zinc, have demonstrated antidiabetic effects in animal and human studies, and these agents that mimic the effects of insulin could produce the same beneficial effects on bone regeneration and spinal fusion. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of locally applied zinc on spinal fusion in a rat model. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee-approved animal study using Sprague-Dawley rats was used as the study design. METHODS Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats (450-500 g) underwent L4-L5 posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF). After decortication and application of approximately 0.3 g of autograft per side, one of three pellets were added to each site: high-dose zinc calcium sulfate (ZnCaSO4), low-dose ZnCaSO4 (half of the high dose), or a control palmitic acid pellet (no Zn dose). Systemic blood glucose levels were measured 24 hours postoperatively. Rats were sacrificed after 8weeks and the PLFs analyzed qualitatively by manual palpation and radiograph review, and quantitatively by micro-computed tomography (CT) analysis of bone volume and trabecular thickness. Statistical analyses with p-values set at .05 were accomplished with analysis of variance, followed by posthoc tests for quantitative data, or Mann-Whitney rank tests for qualitative assessments. RESULTS Compared with controls, the low-dose zinc group demonstrated a significantly higher manual palpation grade (p=.011), radiographic score (p=.045), and bone formation on micro-CT (172.9 mm(3) vs. 126.7 mm(3) for controls) (p<.01). The high-dose zinc also demonstrated a significantly higher radiographic score (p=.017) and bone formation on micro-CT (172.7 mm(3) vs. 126.7 mm(3)) (p<.01) versus controls, and was trending toward higher manual palpation scores (p=.058). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the potential benefit of a locally applied insulin-mimetic agent, such as zinc, in a rat lumbar fusion model. Previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of local insulin application in the same model, and it appears that zinc has similar effects.

Thoracic aortic dissection and mycotic pseudoaneurysm in the setting of an unstable upper thoracic type b2 fracture.

Thoracic type B2 fractures are high-energy injuries. It is crucial to maintain a high index of suspicion for concomitant visceral injuries. A 33-year-old man presented after a motor vehicle accident with a T4 type B2.3 fracture with an associated sternum fracture. He was treated with a T4 corpectomy and an expandable titanium cage and lateral plate construct at T3–T5. Two months later he developed focal kyphosis and loosening of his screws. This was addressed with an instrumented posterior fusion from T1 to T8 complicated by a wound infection, pneumonia, and fungal esophagitis requiring several debridements and vacuum assisted closure therapy. Worsening back pain prompted a thoracic computed tomography scan, revealing a dissecting thoracic-aortic aneurysm, which was treated with an endovascular stent graft. Few months later, he presented with fevers, chills, and hemoptysis secondary to Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, endovascular leak, and T3–T5 osteomyelitis. He was transferred to our institution and restented by the cardiothoracic service. Subsequently, he underwent a thoracotomy, evacuation of infected aneurysmal hematoma with removal of instrumentation. A revision corpectomy with iliac crest autograft reconstruction was performed without complications. The patients infection and thoracic pain resolved. However, there was a significant delay in treatment, resulting in substantial morbidity. Patients with thoracic type B2 fractures require careful evaluation for concomitant aortic and visceral injuries. Missed associated injuries result in increased morbidity and mortality.