Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:An acute Achilles tendon rupture (AATR) is a common injury. The controversy that has surrounded the optimal treatment options for AATRs warrants an updated meta-analysis that is comprehensive, accounts for loss to follow-up, and utilizes the now greater number of available studies for data pooling. PURPOSE/UNASSIGNED:To meta-analyze the rates of all complications after the treatment of AATRs with a "best-case scenario" and "worst-case scenario" analysis for rerupture rates that assumes that all patients lost to follow-up did not or did experience a rerupture, respectively. STUDY DESIGN/UNASSIGNED:Systematic review and meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:≥ 25%). RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Surgical treatment was significantly favored over nonsurgical treatment for reruptures. Nonsurgical treatment was significantly favored over surgical treatment for complications other than reruptures, notably infections. Minimally invasive surgery was significantly favored over open repair for complications other than reruptures (no difference for reruptures), in particular for minor complications. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:This meta-analysis demonstrated that surgical treatment was superior to nonsurgical treatment in terms of reruptures. However, the number needed to treat analysis produced nonmeaningful values for all treatment options, except for surgical versus nonsurgical treatment and minimally invasive surgery versus open repair. No single treatment option was revealed to be profoundly favorable with respect to every complication. The results of this meta-analysis can guide clinicians and patients in their treatment decisions that should be made jointly and on a case-by-case basis.

OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature and to evaluate the outcomes following bone marrow stimulation (BMS) for nonprimary osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT). DESIGN/METHODS:A literature search was performed to identify studies published using PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE, CDSR, DARE, and CENTRAL. The review was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. Two authors separately and independently screened the search results and conducted the quality assessment using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS). Studies were pooled on clinical, sports, work, and imaging outcomes, as well as revision rates and complications. The primary outcome was clinical success rate. RESULTS:Five studies with 70 patients were included in whom nonprimary OLTs were treated with secondary BMS. The pooled clinical success rate was 61% (95% confidence interval [CI], 50-72). The rate of return to any level of sport was 83% (95% CI, 70-91), while the return to pre-injury level of sport was 55% (95% CI, 34-74). The rate of return to work was 92% (95% CI, 78-97), and the complication rate was assessed to be 10% (95% CI, 4-22). Imaging outcomes were heterogeneous in outcome assessment, though a depressed subchondral bone plate was observed in 91% of the patients. The revision rate was 27% (95% CI, 18-40). CONCLUSIONS:The overall success rate of arthroscopic BMS for nonprimary osteochondral lesions of the talus was 61%, including a revision rate of 27%. Return to sports, work, and complication outcomes yielded fair to good results.

The management of symptomatic osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs) can be challenging. The number of ways of treating these lesions has increased considerably during the last decade, with published studies often providing conflicting, low-level evidence. This paper aims to present an up-to-date concise overview of the best evidence for the surgical treatment of OLTs. Management options are reviewed based on the size of the lesion and include bone marrow stimulation, bone grafting options, drilling techniques, biological preparations, and resurfacing. Although many of these techniques have shown promising results, there remains little high level evidence, and further large scale prospective studies and systematic reviews will be required to identify the optimal form of treatment for these lesions. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(2):207-212.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Although anterior ankle impingement is a common pathology within the athletic population, there have been limited data evaluating outcomes of arthroscopic intervention and whether patient sex affects treatment outcomes. PURPOSE/UNASSIGNED:To provide an overview of the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic procedures used as a treatment strategy for anterior ankle impingement and to determine if patient sex affects outcomes. STUDY DESIGN/UNASSIGNED:Systematic review. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:A systematic literature search of the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases was performed during August 2019. The following combination of search terms was utilized: "ankle," "impingement," "talus," "osteophyte," "arthroscopy," "surgery," "procedures," and "treatment." Two reviewers independently performed data extraction. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:A total of 28 articles evaluating 1506 patients were included in this systematic review. Among the studies, 60% (17/28) and 14% (4/28) assessed anterolateral and anteromedial impingement, respectively. Good to excellent results were reported after arthroscopy in patients with anterior ankle impingement, with a success rate of 81.04%. All studies that evaluated functional outcomes (16/16; 100%) cited improvements in American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society scale, visual analog scale, and Foot Function Index. The average complication rate was 4.01%, with the most common complications being mild nerve symptoms and superficial infection. The most common concomitant pathologies included synovitis, osteophytes, meniscoid lesions, and anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament injury. Four studies (15%) failed to report sex as a demographic variable. Only 7 (25%) studies included analysis by sex, with 4 (57%) of these demonstrating differences when comparing outcomes by patient sex. When compared with male patients, female patients exhibited higher rates of traumatic ankle sprains, chondral injury, and chronic ankle instability associated with anterior ankle impingement. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:Our systematic review demonstrates that arthroscopic treatment for anterior ankle impingement provides good to excellent functional outcomes, low complication rates, and good return-to-sports rates in both the general and the athletic population. This study also reports a lack of statistical analysis evaluating outcomes comparing male and female populations. The included studies demonstrate that, compared with male patients, female patients have higher rates of traumatic ankle sprains, chondral injury, and chronic ankle instability associated with anterior ankle impingement; therefore, particular attention should be paid to addressing such concomitant pathology.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes following a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel implant in the treatment of hallux rigidus. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:A retrospective cohort study investigating patients treated with a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel implant for hallux rigidus was performed. Clinical outcomes were evaluated with the Foot and Ankle Outcomes Score (FAOS) and visual analog scale (VAS) score at the final follow-up. Plain radiographs were assessed postoperatively. Eleven patients (11 feet) with a mean follow-up of 20.9 months (range, 14-27 months) were included. The mean age was 60.3 years. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:= .012). On postoperative plain radiographs, implant subsidence was observed 60% (6/10) at 4 weeks after surgery and 90% (9/10) at the final follow-up. Fifty percent (5/10) showed radiologic lucency around the implant. Forty percent (4/10) had erosion of the proximal phalanx of the great toe. Four patients (36%) reported no improvement following surgery at the final follow-up, which were considered as failures. Three patients required additional surgery related to the implants. An additional patient is waiting to revise the implant. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:Our current cohort study demonstrated a high failure rate with the polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel implant in patients with hallux rigidus. Significant radiologic subsidence with lysis around the implant, erosion of the proximal phalanx countersurface, and implant wear are harbingers for concern in the long term. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/UNASSIGNED:Level IV, case series.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the effect of intra-articular injection of autologous micronized adipose tissue (MAT) with ankle arthroscopic debridement in patients with advanced-stage posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) of ankle. DESIGN/METHODS:A retrospective cohort study investigating patients treated with arthroscopic debridement and autologous MAT injection for ankle PTOA was performed. Patients with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade 3 to 4 were included. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Foot and Ankle Outcome Scores (FAOS), and patient satisfaction were evaluated. RESULTS:= 0.048). CONCLUSIONS:Autologous MAT injection is a safe and potentially beneficial procedure for advanced-stage ankle PTOA as an adjunct to arthroscopic debridement, although more than one-third of patients were unsatisfied with the procedure. This procedure may be more beneficial for KL grade 3 patients than grade 4 patients. However, future investigations are necessary to define the role of MAT for ankle PTOA.

BACKGROUND:Identifying preoperative patient characteristics that correlate with an increased risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total ankle replacement (TAR) is of great interest to orthopaedic surgeons, as this may assist with appropriate patient selection. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature to identify risk factors that are associated with PJI following TAR. METHODS:Utilizing the terms "(risk factor OR risk OR risks) AND (infection OR infected) AND (ankle replacement OR ankle arthroplasty)" we searched the PubMed/MEDLINE electronic databases. The quality of the included studies was then assessed using the AAOS Clinical Practice Guideline and Systematic Review Methodology. Recommendations were made using the overall strength of evidence. RESULTS:Eight studies met the inclusion criteria. A limited strength of recommendation can be made that the following preoperative patient characteristics correlate with an increased risk of PJI following TAR: inflammatory arthritis, prior ankle surgery, age less than 65 years, body mass index less than 19, peripheral vascular disease, chronic lung disease, hypothyroidism, and low preoperative AOFAS hindfoot scores. There is conflicting evidence in the literature regarding the effect of obesity, tobacco use, diabetes, and duration of surgery. CONCLUSIONS:Several risk factors were identified as having an association with PJI following TAR. These factors may alert surgeons that a higher rate of PJI is possible. However, because of the low level of evidence of reported studies, only a limited strength of recommendation can be ascribed to regard these as risk factors for PJI at this time.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Hamstring injuries are common and account for considerable time lost to play in athletes. Platelet-rich plasma has potential as a means to accelerate healing of these injuries. PURPOSE/UNASSIGNED:(1) To present the evidence of platelet-rich plasma injection in the treatment of hamstring injuries, (2) evaluate the "best-case scenario" in dichotomous outcomes, and (3) evaluate the "worst-case scenario" in dichotomous outcomes. STUDY DESIGN/UNASSIGNED:Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:values <.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:A total of 10 studies were included with 207 hamstring injuries in the platelet-rich plasma group and 149 in the control group. The fixed effects model for mean time to return to play, which compared platelet-rich plasma + physical therapy and physical therapy alone, significantly favored platelet-rich plasma + physical therapy (mean difference, -5.70 days). The fixed effects model for reinjury rates, which also compared platelet-rich plasma + physical therapy with physical therapy alone insignificantly favored platelet-rich plasma + physical therapy (risk ratio, 0.88). The best-case scenario fixed effects model for reinjury rates insignificantly favored platelet-rich plasma + physical therapy (risk ratio, 0.82). The worst-case scenario fixed effects model for reinjury rates insignificantly favored physical therapy alone (risk ratio, 1.13). The mean ± SD complication rate for either postinjection discomfort, pain, or sciatic nerve irritation was 5.2% ± 2.9% (range, 2.7% to 9.1%). CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:There has been statistically nonsignificant evidence to suggest that PRP injection ± PT reduced mean time to RTP or reinjury rates compared to no treatment or PT alone for hamstring injuries in a short-term follow-up. The complication profiles were favorable. Further studies of high quality and large cohorts are needed to better support or disprove the consensus of the systematic review and meta-analysis.