Travis Matheney

Association Between Increased Estrogen Status and Increased Fibrinolytic Potential in the Framingham Offspring Study

BACKGROUND Although extensive evidence indicates that estrogen is responsible for the markedly decreased cardiovascular risk of premenopausal women, the mechanism through which estrogen might exert its protective effect has not been adequately explained. Since thrombosis is now recognized to play an important role in the onset of cardiovascular disease, we investigated the relation between estrogen status and fibrinolytic potential, a determinant of thrombotic risk. METHODS AND RESULTS We determined levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) antigen and tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) antigen in 1431 subjects from the Framingham Offspring Study. Fibrinolytic potential was compared between subjects with high estrogen status (premenopausal women and postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy) and low estrogen status (men and postmenopausal women not receiving hormone replacement therapy). In all comparisons, subjects with high estrogen status had greater fibrinolytic potential (lower PAI-1 levels) than subjects with low estrogen status. First, postmenopausal women receiving estrogen replacement therapy had lower levels of PAI-1 than those not receiving therapy (13.0 +/- 0.5 versus 19.5 +/- 1.0 ng/mL, P < .001). Second, premenopausal women had lower levels of PAI-1 than men of a similar age (14.8 +/- 0.6 versus 20.3 +/- 0.8 ng/mL, P < .001); this sex difference diminished when postmenopausal women not receiving hormone replacement therapy were compared with men of a similar age (19.6 +/- 0.7 versus 21.1 +/- 0.7 ng/mL, P = .089). Third, premenopausal women had markedly lower levels of PAI-1 antigen than postmenopausal women not receiving estrogen therapy (14.8 +/- 0.6 versus 19.5 +/- 1.0 ng/mL, P < .001). The between-group differences observed for TPA antigen were similar to those for PAI-1 antigen. CONCLUSIONS Each of these comparisons indicates that the cardioprotective effect of estrogen may be mediated, in part, by an increase in fibrinolytic potential. These findings might provide at least a partial explanation for the protection against cardiovascular disease experienced by premenopausal women, and the loss of that protection following menopause.

Association of Fibrinogen With Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Cardiovascular Disease in the Framingham Offspring Population

BackgroundFibrinogen has been identified as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Also, the role of elevated fibrinogen in thrombosis suggests that it may be on the causal pathway for certain risk factors to exert their effect. These associations remain incompletely characterized. Moreover, the optimal fibrinogen assay for risk stratification is uncertain. Methods and ResultsIn 2632 subjects from cycle 5 of the Framingham Offspring Population, fibrinogen levels were determined with a newly developed immunoprecipitation test (American Biogenetic Sciences) and the functional Clauss method. With the immunoprecipitation method, there were significant linear trends across fibrinogen tertiles (P <0.001) for age, body mass index, smoking, diabetes mellitus, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in men and women. The Clauss method had significant results (P <0.030), except for triglycerides in men. Fibrinogen levels were higher for those with compared with those without cardiovascular disease. After covariate adjustment, fibrinogen remained significantly higher in those with cardiovascular disease with the use of the immunoprecipitation test (P =0.035 and P =0.018 for men and women, respectively) but not with the Clauss method. ConclusionsFibrinogen was associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Elevation of fibrinogen may provide a mechanism for risk factors to exert their effect. Also, fibrinogen levels were higher among subjects with cardiovascular disease compared with those without disease. The immunoprecipitation test showed a stronger association with cardiovascular disease than the Clauss method, suggesting that it may be a useful screening tool to identify individuals at increased thrombotic risk.

Intermediate to Long-Term Results Following the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy and Predictors of Clinical Outcome

BACKGROUND The Bernese periacetabular osteotomy is a commonly used non-arthroplasty option to treat developmental hip dysplasia in symptomatic younger patients. Predicting which hips will remain preserved and which hips will go on to require arthroplasty following periacetabular osteotomy is a major challenge. In the present study, we assessed the intermediate to long-term results following periacetabular osteotomy to demonstrate the clinical outcomes for patients with varying amounts of dysplasia and arthritis. From these results, a probability-of-failure analysis was conducted to predict the likelihood of hip preservation and to improve surgical decision-making. METHODS Of the 189 hips (in 157 patients) that were treated with periacetabular osteotomy by a single surgeon from May 1991 to September 1998, thirty-one had diagnoses other than developmental hip dysplasia and twenty-three were lost to follow-up. The remaining 135 hips (in 109 patients) were retrospectively reviewed at an average of nine years. Hips were evaluated with use of the pain subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index postoperatively as well as with radiographs that were made preoperatively and at one and more than five years postoperatively. Osteotomy failure was defined as a pain score of >or=10 or the need for total hip arthroplasty. RESULTS One hundred and two hips (76%) remained preserved at an average of nine years, with an average Western Ontario and McMaster Universities pain score of 2.4 of 20. Thirty-three hips (24%) met the failure criteria: seventeen underwent arthroplasty at an average of 6.1 years after the osteotomy, and sixteen had a postoperative pain score of >or=10. Kaplan-Meier analysis with arthroplasty as the end point revealed a survival rate of 96% (95% confidence interval, 93% to 99%) at five years and 84% (95% confidence interval, 77% to 90%) at ten years. Complications occurred in twenty hips. Fifteen hips (11%) were treated with a subsequent arthroscopy because of chondral and/or labral lesions at an average of 6.8 years after the osteotomy. Two independent predictors of failure (defined as arthroplasty or a high pain score) were identified: (1) an age of more than thirty-five years and (2) poor or fair preoperative joint congruency. The probability of failure requiring arthroplasty was 14% for hips with no predictors of failure, 36% for those with one predictor (either an age of more than thirty-five years or poor or fair joint congruency), and 95% for those with both predictors. CONCLUSIONS The Bernese periacetabular osteotomy can be effective for the treatment of painful hip dysplasia, but complications may be expected in as many as 15% of cases. The ideal candidate is the patient who is less than thirty-five years of age and who has good or excellent hip joint congruency.

Lateral entry compared with medial and lateral entry pin fixation for completely displaced supracondylar humeral fractures in children. A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Closed reduction and percutaneous pin fixation is the treatment of choice for completely displaced (type-III) extension supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children, although controversy persists regarding the optimal pin-fixation technique. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of lateral entry pin fixation with that of medial and lateral entry pin fixation for the operative treatment of completely displaced extension supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children. METHODS This prospective, randomized clinical trial had sufficient power to detect a 10% difference in the rate of loss of reduction between the two groups. The techniques of lateral entry and medial and lateral entry pin fixation were standardized in terms of the pin location, the pin size, the incision and position of the elbow used for medial pin placement, and the postoperative course. The primary study end points were a major loss of reduction and iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury. Secondary study end points included radiographic measurements, clinical alignment, Flynn grade, elbow range of motion, function, and complications. RESULTS The lateral entry group (twenty-eight patients) and the medial and lateral entry group (twenty-four patients) were similar in terms of mean age, sex distribution, and preoperative displacement, comminution, and associated neurovascular status. No patient in either group had a major loss of reduction. There was no significant difference between the rates of mild loss of reduction, which occurred in six of the twenty-eight patients treated with lateral entry and one of the twenty-four treated with medial and lateral entry (p = 0.107). There were no cases of iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury in either group. There were also no significant differences (p > 0.05) between groups with respect to the Baumann angle, change in the Baumann angle, humerocapitellar angle, change in the humerocapitellar angle, Flynn grade, carrying angle, elbow flexion, elbow extension, total elbow range of motion, return to function, or complications. CONCLUSIONS With use of the specific techniques employed in this study, both lateral entry pin fixation and medial and lateral entry pin fixation are effective in the treatment of completely displaced (type-III) extension supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Treatment of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures.

Methods of treating pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures are dictated by patient age, fracture characteristics, and family social situation. The recent trend has been away from nonsurgical treatment and toward surgical stabilization. The clinical practice guideline on pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures was undertaken to determine the best evidence regarding a number of different options for surgical stabilization. The recommendations address treatments that include Pavlik harness, spica casts, flexible intramedullary nailing, rigid trochanteric entry nailing, submuscular plating, and pain management. The guideline authors conclude that controversy and lack of conclusive evidence remain regarding the different treatment options for pediatric femur fractures and that the quality of scientific evidence could be improved for the revised guideline.

The modified Dunn procedure for unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis: a multicenter perspective.

BACKGROUND The modified Dunn procedure has rapidly gained popularity as a treatment for unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), but limited data exist regarding its safety and efficacy. The purpose of this study was to present results and complications following this procedure in a large multicenter series. METHODS We reviewed the outcomes of all patients who had been treated with the modified Dunn procedure by five surgeons from separate tertiary-care institutions. All slipped capital femoral epiphyses were defined as unstable according to the Loder criteria. Patients with less than one year of follow-up and those with an underlying endocrinopathy or syndrome were excluded. All surgical procedures were performed by pediatric orthopaedic surgeons who had specific training in the modified Dunn procedure. Operative reports, outpatient records, and follow-up radiographs were used to determine the demographic information, type of fixation, final slip angle, presence of osteonecrosis, and any additional complications. Standardized surveys were administered to determine the pain level (0 to 10 scale), satisfaction (0 to 100 scale), function (modified Harris hip score, 0 to 91 scale), and activity level (UCLA [University of California Los Angeles] activity score, 0 to 10 scale) at time of the most recent follow-up. RESULTS Twenty-seven patients (twenty-seven hips) with a mean of 22.3 months (range, twelve to forty-eight months) of follow-up met the inclusion criteria. Four patients (15%) had broken implants at three to eighteen weeks after surgery and required revision fixation. Seven patients (26%) developed osteonecrosis at a mean of 21.4 weeks (range, ten to thirty-nine weeks), with each surgeon having at least one case of osteonecrosis. The mean slip angle at the time of the most recent follow-up was 6° (95% confidence interval, 2° to 11°). Patients who did not develop osteonecrosis had significantly better clinical results compared with those who developed osteonecrosis, as demonstrated by a lower mean pain score (0.3 compared with 3.1, p = 0.002), higher level of satisfaction (97.1 compared with 65.8, p = 0.001), higher modified Harris hip score (88.0 compared with 60.0, p = 0.001), and higher UCLA activity score (9.3 compared with 5.9, p = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS This largest reported series of unstable slipped capital femoral epiphyses treated with the modified Dunn procedure demonstrated that the procedure is capable of restoring anatomy and preserving function after a slip but that implant complications and osteonecrosis can and do occur postoperatively.

Intermediate to Long-Term Results Following the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy and Predictors of Clinical Outcome: Surgical Technique

BACKGROUND The Bernese periacetabular osteotomy is a commonly used non-arthroplasty option to treat developmental hip dysplasia in symptomatic younger patients. Predicting which hips will remain preserved and which hips will go on to require arthroplasty following periacetabular osteotomy is a major challenge. In the present study, we assessed the intermediate to long-term results following periacetabular osteotomy to demonstrate the clinical outcomes for patients with varying amounts of dysplasia and arthritis. From these results, a probability-of-failure analysis was conducted to predict the likelihood of hip preservation and to improve surgical decision-making. METHODS Of the 189 hips (in 157 patients) that were treated with periacetabular osteotomy by a single surgeon from May 1991 to September 1998, thirty-one had diagnoses other than developmental hip dysplasia and twenty-three were lost to follow-up. The remaining 135 hips (in 109 patients) were retrospectively reviewed at an average of nine years. Hips were evaluated with use of the pain subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index postoperatively as well as with radiographs that were made preoperatively and at one and more than five years postoperatively. Osteotomy failure was defined as a pain score of ≥10 or the need for total hip arthroplasty. RESULTS One hundred and two hips (76%) remained preserved at an average of nine years, with an average Western Ontario and McMaster Universities pain score of 2.4 of 20. Thirty-three hips (24%) met the failure criteria: seventeen underwent arthroplasty at an average of 6.1 years after the osteotomy, and sixteen had a postoperative pain score of ≥10. Kaplan-Meier analysis with arthroplasty as the end point revealed a survival rate of 96% (95% confidence interval, 93% to 99%) at five years and 84% (95% confidence interval, 77% to 90%) at ten years. Complications occurred in twenty hips. Fifteen hips (11%) were treated with a subsequent arthroscopy because of chondral and/or labral lesions at an average of 6.8 years after the osteotomy. Two independent predictors of failure (defined as arthroplasty or a high pain score) were identified: (1) an age of more than thirty-five years and (2) poor or fair preoperative joint congruency. The probability of failure requiring arthroplasty was 14% for hips with no predictors of failure, 36% for those with one predictor (either an age of more than thirty-five years or poor or fair joint congruency), and 95% for those with both predictors. CONCLUSIONS The Bernese periacetabular osteotomy can be effective for the treatment of painful hip dysplasia, but complications may be expected in as many as 15% of cases. The ideal candidate is the patient who is less than thirty-five years of age and who has good or excellent hip joint congruency.

Measuring health state preferences in women with breast hypertrophy

The purpose of this article is to introduce the measurement of utilities, or patient preferences, to the plastic surgery community. Specifically, the study demonstrated the development and validation of a utility measure for estimating the health-related quality of life in women with breast hypertrophy. Two self-administered instruments were developed, a Wheel and a Table. All subjects completed the utility assessments for their “current health” and again for “breast-related symptoms.” The reliability of the instruments was assessed in repeat (test-retest) interviews of 47 women within 10 to 18 days. Utilities obtained with the new instruments were also compared with the performance of other validated utility assessment instruments, including a visual analogue scale, a computer-based instrument (U-Titer), and a preference classification system (EuroQol). Of the 47 women in the test-retest reliability study, 21 had experienced breast hypertrophy (13 had not had reduction surgery and 8 had undergone reduction mammaplasty). Mean utility values for breast-related symptoms among women with breast hypertrophy (n = 13) were:Table, 0.85; Wheel, 0.90; and U-Titer, 0.66. Current health utility scores were significantly lower for women with breast hypertrophy (n = 13), as measured by all instruments except the Wheel. The Table had good reliability and distinguished women with breast hypertrophy from those without. Although the Table provided higher utility values for the same health state compared with the computer-based interview (U-Titer), it is much less costly to implement. The Table is recommended as a reasonable alternative for use in multicenter studies of women with breast hypertrophy. The reported utility value for breast hypertrophy of 0.86 is much lower than predicted. It is comparable with the reported burden of living with other health conditions, such as moderate angina (0.90) and a kidney transplant (0.84).

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guideline on Treatment of Pediatric Diaphyseal Femur Fracture

Summary of Recommendations The following is a summary of the recommendations in the AAOS’ clinical practice guideline, The Treatment of Pediatric Diaphyseal Femur Fractures (PDFF). This summary does not contain rationales that explain how and why these recommendations were developed nor does it contain the evidence supporting these recommendations. All readers of this summary are strongly urged to consult the full guideline and evidence report for this information. We are confident that those who read the full guideline and evidence report will also see that the recommendations were developed using systematic evidence-based processes designed to combat bias, enhance transparency, and promote reproducibility. This summary of recommendations is not intended to stand alone. 1. We recommend that children younger than thirty-six months with a diaphyseal femur fracture be evaluated for child abuse. 2. Treatment with a Pavlik harness or a spica cast are options for infants six months and younger with …

Complications after modified Dunn osteotomy for the treatment of adolescent slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

Background: Modified Dunn osteotomy has gained popularity over the past decade in the treatment of moderate to severe adolescent slipped capital femoral epiphysis. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate a consecutive series of adolescent slipped capital femoral epiphysis patients treated with the modified Dunn procedure at a single institution. We analyze the indications for the procedure as well as the complications after surgical treatment. Methods: Forty-three adolescent patients (18 boys and 25 girls) were treated with the modified Dunn procedure at our institution between September 2001 and August 2012. The average follow-up for this cohort was 2.6 years (range, 1 to 8 y). Complications were graded according to the modified Dindo-Clavien classification. Results: Twenty-six patients (60%) had an unstable injury with an inability to ambulate with our without crutches. Seventeen patients (40%) had an acute injury with duration of symptoms <3 weeks. Thirty-seven patients (86%) had a severe slip based on a Southwick slip angle of >50 degrees. Twenty-two complications occurred in 16 patients (37%) in this cohort. Fifteen revision procedures were performed for femoral head avascular necrosis, fixation failure with deformity progression, or postoperative hip dislocation. Two patients developed end-stage degenerative joint disease and severe femoral head avascular necrosis and were referred for a total hip arthroplasty. Conclusions: The complication rate in this series is higher than most previous reports. This may be in part because of the fact that as a tertiary referral center our patient population was more complex. However, we identified a clear inverse relationship between surgeon-volume and patient-outcomes. On the basis of our results we have modified our practice. A high-volume surgeon must be present during each modified Dunn procedure, and only patients that have sustained an acute severe (>50 degrees) epiphyseal displacement with mild chronic remodeling of the metaphysis that can be addressed within 24 hours of the slip may be treated with the modified Dunn technique. Level of Evidence: Level IV—therapeutic study.