Travis Heare

Acetabular Cartilage and Labral Damage Observed During Surgical Hip Dislocation for Stable Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis

Background Surgical hip dislocation allows the surgeon full visualization of the proximal femur and acetabulum. It also makes it possible to directly observe the pathologic relationship between the proximal femur and acetabular rim with hip motion. The purpose of this study is to classify acetabular cartilage and labral damage that is present at the time of surgical hip dislocation for the treatment of symptomatic stable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) hips. Methods A retrospective study was performed at 2 North American centers on patients with a stable SCFE who had a surgical hip dislocation for chronic symptoms. The severity of SCFE (slip angle) was measured as mild (0-30 degrees), moderate (30-60 degrees), and severe (60-90 degrees). The degree of acetabular and labral damage was classified in each patient according to the Beck classification used for femoroacetabular impingement. Results Thirty-nine hips in 36 patients that underwent open surgical dislocation for diagnosis of stable SCFE were included. The breakdown of the radiographic severity of the SCFE was 8 mild, 20 moderate, and 11 severe. Labral injury was observed in 34 of 39 hips. Using the Beck classification for labral injury, there were 21 type 1 injuries, 9 type 2 injuries, and 4 type 3 injuries. Cartilage injury was present in 33 of 39 hips. Using Beck classification for cartilage damage, there were 6 grade 0, 5 grade 1, 10 grade 2, 4 grade 3, 10 grade 4, and 4 grade 5 injuries. The average depth of cartilage damage was 5 mm (range, 2-10 mm). Conclusions In this study, significant chondromalacia and labral injury was observed in hips afflicted with SCFE. Surgical hip dislocation allowed direct confirmation of the impingement of the prominent metaphysis on the acetabular labrum and cartilage.

Late follow-up of a short-term intensive regimen for ewing's sarcoma

Twenty-two patients received a short-term intensive regimen for Ewings sarcoma between November 1977 and December 1981. The regimen consisted of vincristine (1.5 mg/m2) on day 1, and doxorubicin HCl (75 mg/m2) plus cyclophosphamide (1,000 mg/m2) on day 2. Six cycles were given at 28-day intervals. Local irradiation was started shortly after cycle 2. Eight patients with lesions of expendable bones also underwent surgery as part of the treatment to the primary site, 4 at the end of chemotherapy and 4 at diagnosis. The 5-year event-free survival rate was 45% for all patients and 48% for those with localized disease at diagnosis. Two patients died of treatment-related toxicity. The most common form of failure was distant metastases, indicating that finding a better systemic treatment remains the problem in eradicating Ewings sarcoma.

Non-Rhabdomyosarcoma Soft Tissue Sarcomas in Children: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Analysis Validating COG Risk Stratifications

PURPOSE Non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcomas (NRSTS) are a heterogeneous group of sarcomas that encompass over 35 histologies. With an incidence of ∼500 cases per year in the United States in those <20 years of age, NRSTS are rare and therefore difficult to study in pediatric populations. We used the large Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to validate the prognostic ability of the Childrens Oncology Group (COG) risk classification system and to define patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics. METHODS AND MATERIALS From SEER data from 1988 to 2007, we identified patients ≤18 years of age with NRSTS. Data for age, sex, year of diagnosis, race, registry, histology, grade, primary size, primary site, stage, radiation therapy, and survival outcomes were analyzed. Patients with nonmetastatic grossly resected low-grade tumors of any size or high-grade tumors ≤5 cm were considered low risk. Cases of nonmetastatic tumors that were high grade, >5 cm, or unresectable were considered intermediate risk. Patients with nodal or distant metastases were considered high risk. RESULTS A total of 941 patients met the review criteria. On univariate analysis, black race, malignant peripheral nerve sheath (MPNST) histology, tumors >5 cm, nonextremity primary, lymph node involvement, radiation therapy, and higher risk group were associated with significantly worse overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). On multivariate analysis, MPNST histology, chemotherapy-resistant histology, and higher risk group were significantly poor prognostic factors for OS and CSS. Compared to low-risk patients, intermediate patients showed poorer OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 6.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.53-10.47, P<.001) and CSS (HR: 6.27; 95% CI: 3.44-11.43, P<.001), and high-risk patients had the worst OS (HR: 13.35, 95% CI: 8.18-21.76, P<.001) and CSS (HR: 14.65, 95% CI: 8.49-25.28, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The current COG risk group stratification for children with NRSTS has been validated with a large number of children in the SEER database.

The efficacy of intra-articular injections for pain control following the closed reduction and percutaneous pinning of pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial was to compare the analgesic efficacy of intra-articular injections of bupivacaine or ropivacaine with that of no injection for postoperative pain control after the operative treatment of supracondylar humeral fractures in a pediatric population. METHODS Subjects (n=124) were randomized to treatment with 0.25% bupivacaine (Group B) (n=42), 0.20% ropivacaine (Group R) (n=39), or no injection (Group C) (n=43). The opioid doses and the times of administration as well as child-reported pain severity (Faces Pain Scale-Revised) and parent-reported pain severity (Total Quality Pain Management survey) were recorded. RESULTS The proportion of subjects who required morphine and/or fentanyl injections was significantly (p=0.004) lower in Group B (10%) as compared with Group R (36%) and Group C (44%). On the basis of the log-rank test, the opioid-free survival rates were significantly greater in Group B as compared to Groups C and R. Total opioid consumption (morphine equivalent mg/kg) in the first seventy-two hours postoperatively was significantly less in Group B as compared with Group C (mean difference, 0.225; [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.0152 to 0.435]; p=0.036). Parent-reported pain scores were also significantly lower in Group B as compared with both Group C (mean difference, 1.81 [95% CI, 0.38 to 3.25]; p=0.014) and Group R (mean difference, 1.66; 95% CI, 0.20 to 3.12; p=0.027). There were no significant differences across the three groups in terms of self-reported pain. Differences between Groups R and C were not significant for any of the outcome variables. CONCLUSIONS The intra-articular injection of 0.25% bupivacaine significantly improves postoperative pain control following the closed reduction and percutaneous pinning of supracondylar humeral fractures in pediatric patients.

Surgical Hip Dislocation for the Treatment of Intra-Articular Injuries and Hip Instability Following Traumatic Posterior Dislocation in Children and Adolescents.

Background: Traumatic posterior hip dislocation in children is a rare injury that typically is treated with closed reduction. Surgical treatment is typically recommended for nonconcentric reduction with joint space asymmetry with entrapped labrum or an osteochondral fragment. The surgical hip dislocation (SHD) approach allows for full assessment of the acetabulum and femoral head and has been our preferred surgical strategy. The purpose of this study was to (1) describe the intra-articular pathologic findings seen at the time of SHD; and (2) to investigate hip pain, function, and activity level of a cohort of children and adolescents after open treatment of a posterior hip dislocation using the SHD approach. Methods: Following IRB approval, 23 patients who sustained a traumatic posterior hip dislocation between January 2009 and December 2013 were identified. In 8/23 (34.8%) patients there was evidence of nonconcentric reduction after closed treatment and surgical treatment was performed using the SHD approach. Seven male and 1 female (mean age, 11.2 y; range, 6 to 14.6 y) were followed for an average of 28 months (range, 13 to 67 mo). The modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) and the University of California Los Angeles activity score assessed clinical hip outcome and activity level at minimum of 1 year after surgery. Results: Six patients were treated after an acute trauma, whereas 2 were treated after recurrent dislocations. Five patients were involved in motor vehicle accidents and 3 in sports-related injuries. Intraoperative findings include posterior labral avulsion in all patients, fracture of the cartilaginous posterior wall (n=3), and femoral head chondral injuries (n=5) and fracture (n=1). The labral root was repaired using suture anchor technique in 7/8 patients and resected in 1. In 2 patients, labral repair was complemented by screw fixation of the posterior wall. All but one patient (mHHS=94) reported maximum mHHS. The University of California Los Angeles activity score was 10 for 5/8 patients and 7 in 3 patients. No case of femoral head osteonecrosis was noted. One patient developed an asymptomatic heterotopic ossification. Conclusions: When open reduction is recommended for the treatment of intra-articular pathologies and hip instability following traumatic dislocation of the hip in children and adolescents, the SHD is an excellent approach that allows surgical correction of the damaged bony and soft-tissue structures including repair of the capsule-labral complex, and reduction and internal fixation of the cartilaginous posterior wall and femoral head fractures. Level of Evidence: Level IV.

Is Assessment of Femoral Head Perfusion During Modified Dunn for Unstable Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis an Accurate Indicator of Osteonecrosis

BackgroundThe modified Dunn procedure, which is an open subcapital realignment through a surgical dislocation approach, has gained popularity for the treatment of unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). Intraoperative monitoring of the femoral head perfusion has been recommended as a method of predicting osteonecrosis; however, the accuracy of this assessment has not been well documented.Questions/purposesWe asked (1) whether intraoperative assessment of femoral head perfusion would help identify hips at risk of developing osteonecrosis; (2) whether one of the four methods of assessment of femoral head perfusion is more accurate (highest area under the curve) at identifying hips at risk of osteonecrosis; and (3) whether specific clinical features would be associated with osteonecrosis occurrence after a modified Dunn procedure for unstable SCFE.MethodsBetween 2007 and 2014, we performed 29 modified Dunn procedures for unstable SCFE (16 boys, 11 girls; median age, 13 years; range, 8–17 years); two were lost to followup before 1 year. During this period, six patients with unstable SCFE were treated by other procedures. All patients undergoing modified Dunn underwent assessment of epiphyseal perfusion by the presence of active bleeding and/or by intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring. In the initial five patients perfusion was recorded once, either before dissection of the retinacular flap or after fixation by one of the two methods. In the remaining 22 patients (81%), perfusion was systematically assessed before dissection of the retinacular flap and after fixation by both methods. Minimum followup was 1 year (median, 2.5 years; range, 1–8 years) because osteonecrosis typically develops within the first year after surgery. Patients were assessed for osteonecrosis by the presence of femoral head collapse at radiographs obtained every 3 months during the first year after surgery. Seven (26%) of the 27 patients developed osteonecrosis. Measures of diagnostic accuracy including sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) were estimated. Multiple variable logistic regression analyses were used to test whether the test options were better than random chance (AUC > 0.50) at differentiating between patients who did versus did not develop osteonecrosis. Nonparametric methods were used to test for a difference in AUC across the four methods. A secondary analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with osteonecrosis.ResultsAfter adjusting for body mass index, which was found to be a confounding variable, assessment of femoral head perfusion with ICP monitoring before retinaculum dissection (adjusted AUC: 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58–0.99; p = 0.006), femoral head perfusion with ICP monitoring after definitive fixation (adjusted AUC: 0.82; 95% CI, 0.65–1.0; p < 0.001), bleeding before retinaculum dissection (adjusted AUC: 0.77; 95% CI, 0.58–0.96; p = 0.006), and bleeding after definitive fixation (adjusted AUC: 0.81; 95% CI, 0.63–0.99; p = 0.001) were found to be helpful at identifying osteonecrosis. We were not able to identify a specific test that had performed best because there was no difference (p = 0.8226) in AUC across the four methods. With the numbers available, we were unable to identify clinical factors predictive of osteonecrosis in our cohort.ConclusionsAssessments of femoral head blood perfusion by ICP monitoring or by the presence of active bleeding in combination with the patient’s body mass index are effective at differentiating between patients who do versus do not develop osteonecrosis after a modified Dunn procedure for unstable SCFE. Additional research is needed to determine whether information gained from assessment of femoral head perfusion during surgery should be used to guide targeted treatment recommendations that may reduce the development of femoral head deformity secondary to osteonecrosis.Level of EvidenceLevel III, diagnostic study.

Congenital Pseudarthrosis of the Tibia

Patients with congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia do not have a normal tibia. In such patients, the entire tibia is abnormal (even outside of the established pseudarthrosis site); the bone does not have a normal healing response to injury or osteotomy, and the proximal growth plate typically has

The modified Dunn procedure provides superior short-term outcomes in the treatment of the unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis as compared to the inadvertent closed reduction and percutaneous pinning: a comparative clinical study

PurposeThe aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes and radiographic correction after modified Dunn procedure versus inadvertent closed reduction and percutaneous pinning for the treatment of unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE).MethodsWe evaluated 45 patients with unstable SCFE treated using the modified Dunn procedure (n = 27) or percutaneous pinning (n = 18) during a minimum follow-up of one year. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Heyman and Herndon scores. The Southwick angle, alpha angle, and femoral head-neck offset were used to assess radiographic correction. The occurrence of complications and unplanned re-operations were recorded.ResultsAt latest follow-up, 67% (18/27) in the modified Dunn procedure group and 28% (5/18) in the in situ pinning group had good or excellent Heyman and Herndon outcomes (p = 0.016). The morphology of the femoral head and neck was improved in the modified Dunn procedure group compared to percutaneous pinning (Southwick angle, alpha angles; femoral head-neck offset; p < 0.001). The proportion of osteonecrosis (26 vs. 28%; p > 0.999) and unplanned re-operations (26 vs. 33%; p = 0.894) was similar in both groups.ConclusionCompared to inadvertent reduction and percutaneous pinning, the modified Dunn procedure provided better clinical and radiographic outcomes with similar proportion of osteonecrosis and unplanned re-operations following an unstable SCFE.

Clinical Care Guideline for Improving Pediatric Acute Musculoskeletal Infection Outcomes

Background Acute pediatric musculoskeletal infections are common, leading to significant use of resources and antimicrobial exposure. In order to decrease variability and improve the quality of care, Childrens Hospital Colorado implemented a clinical care guideline (CCG) for these infections. The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical and resource outcomes PRE and POST this CCG. Methods Retrospective chart review evaluated patients admitted to a large pediatric quaternary referral center (CHCO) diagnosed with acute osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, pyomyositis, and/or musculoskeletal abscess prior to and after guideline implementation. Primary outcomes included length of stay and overall antibiotic use, with additional secondary clinical, process, and therapeutic outcomes examined. Results 82 patients were identified in both the pre-CCG and post-CCG cohorts. There was a reduction in the median of all primary outcomes, including length of stay (0.6 median days decrease, P = .04), length of IV antibiotic therapy (4.9 median days decrease, P < .0001), and days of IV antibiotic therapy (6.4 median days decrease, P = .0004). Our median length of stay post-CCG was 4.9 days, the shortest reported length of stay for pediatric acute musculoskeletal infections to date. Additionally, there was a 24.5 hour reduction in median length of fever (P = .02), faster CRP normalization (P < .0001), 50% decrease in the number of related readmissions (P = .02), 34% decrease in central venous catheters placed (P < .0001), decreased time to first culture (P = .02), and 79% pathogen identification post-CCG (P = .056). Conclusions Implementation of a CCG for acute musculoskeletal infections improves patient, process and resource outcomes.

Customized Titanium Implant for Chest Wall Reconstruction in Complex Poland Syndrome.

Summary: This report describes a new method for the surgical repair of the chest wall deformity encountered in complex Poland’s syndrome. In this report, we describe the use of a customized titanium implant that was used to replace the missing second through fifth ribs and to provide chest wall stabilization before breast reconstruction. This approach might be considered an alternative to autologous rib grafting in patients who have reached skeletal maturity. It avoids the morbidity and risk associated with rib grafts and improves chest wall symmetry.