Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:The importance of research in resident education has been emphasized in the orthopaedic surgery community, and a number of residency programs have incorporated a year or more of protected research time into their training. However, limited information exists as to what programs are looking for in applicants to research-track residency programs or the perceived benefits of completing such a program. METHODS:We identified orthopaedic surgery programs that have tracks involving at least 1 year of protected research time and sent surveys to their program directors and to the 2012 through 2016 research-track graduates. RESULTS:Twenty-three programs with research tracks were identified, and 19 program directors (83%) responded to the survey. The survey revealed that only 2 (11%) of these program directors were willing to accept lower scores and grades among applicants to their research track compared with their primary clinical (categorical) track. While most of the program directors (14 [74%]) preferred that applicants have an interest in academics, only a few (3 [16%]) considered it a failure if their research-track residents did not pursue academic careers. We obtained the e-mail addresses of 82 research-track graduates, and 66 (80%) responded to the survey. The survey revealed that those who went into academic careers were more likely than those who went into private practice to view completing a research track as beneficial for fellowship (73% versus 35%, respectively) and job (73% versus 22%, respectively) applications, believed that the income lost from the additional year of residency would be compensated for by opportunities gained from the research year (50% versus 17%, respectively), and said that they would pursue a research-track residency if they had to do it over again (81% versus 39%, respectively; all p values <0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The majority of program directors preferred that applicants to their research-track program have an interest in academics, although most did not consider it a failure if their research-track residents entered nonacademic careers. Graduates of research-track residency programs who entered academics more frequently viewed the completion of a research track as being beneficial compared with those who went into private practice.

Introduction/UNASSIGNED:Non-traumatic stress fractures of the humerus are often related to a throwing motion. This type of humeral fracture is often due to uncoordinated muscular activity on the humeral shaft. These forces over time may contribute to mid-shaft humeral stress fractures, an injury often referred to as a "throwers fracture." The ultimate strength of bone is decreased when a screw hole is created, as in open reduction and internal fixation repairs (ORIF). Case Report/UNASSIGNED:This case study discusses a patient who underwent plate and screw fixation of a previous stress fracture of the humerus. He continued to remain active and competitive in collegiate baseball, playing the catcher position which leads to a recurrent stress fracture. A combination of low Vitamin D and stress-shielded bone likely resulted in the reinjury. Physicians treating patients with these injuries should be aware of the possibility of refracture if inciting factors are not modified. This case of a non-traumatic humeral shaft stress refracture, following ORIF, has not been described in the literature. Conclusion/UNASSIGNED:The unusual case of a humeral stress refracture following ORIF is presented. A combination of low Vitamin D and stress-shielded bone likely resulted in the reinjury. Physicians treating patients with these injuries should be aware of the possibility of refracture if inciting factors are not modified.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:To propose a previous implant fractures (PIFs) classification system with good interobserver reliability. DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective classification. SETTING/METHODS:Four academic medical centers. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:A retrospective review of PIFs treated at 4 academic medical centers over 10 years was performed. Data collected included initial implant and PIF radiographs. There were 103 PIFs in 96 patients during the study period. Seventy-three (70.9%) were about plate/screw (PS) constructs and 30 (29.1%) were about intramedullary (IM) devices. INTERVENTION/METHODS:Assignment of PIF classification. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS/METHODS:PIFs were classified based on initial implant (PS or IM) and fracture location with respect to the initial implant (proximal or distal to the implant, at the tip of the construct, or within the construct). Reliability of this scheme was assessed among 5 observers using Fleiss' kappa tests. RESULTS:Of PIFs about plate/screw constructs, 26.0% were proximal/distal to the implant (classification: PS1), 57.5% involved bone between the most proximal/distal screw and the same end of the plate (classification: PS2), and 16.4% involved only bone between the most proximal and distal screws (classification: PS3). Of PIFs about IM, 43.3% were distal to the device (classification: IM1), 46.7% involved bone between the most proximal/distal locking bolt and the same end of the device (classification: IM2), and 10.0% involved only bone between locking bolts (classification: IM3). Interobserver reliability for the classification system was excellent between observers, κ = 0.839, P < 0.0005. CONCLUSIONS:The proposed system offers a simple method to classify and describe fractures that occur about a previously implanted fracture device. Development of a classification system will allow for comparison of treatment modalities between injury types.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:(1) To assess the correlation of psychosocial factors and long-term outcomes of proximal humerus fractures all in surgical repair; (2) to identify specific psychosocial factors with favorable and unfavorable outcomes; and (3) to assess the correlation between DSM-V mental health diagnoses and long-term Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores. DESIGN/METHODS:Prospective cohort study. SETTING/METHODS:Academic medical center. PATIENTS/METHODS:Patients were screened and identified on presentation to the emergency department or in the clinical office for inclusion in an institutional review board-approved registry. One hundred eighty-five proximal humerus fractures of 247 met inclusion criteria. INTERVENTION/METHODS:Surgical repair of proximal humerus fractures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE/METHODS:All patients were prospectively followed up and assessed for clinical and functional outcomes at latest follow-up visit (mean = 24.8 months) using the DASH questionnaires along with ranges of motion and pain level. Psychosocial factors at 3 months were obtained from the DASH survey. RESULTS:Concomitant diagnosis of depressed mood (P = 0.001), anxiety (P < 0.0005), low energy level (P = 0.003), and fatigue (P = 0.001) correlated significantly with poorer outcome. All 6 psychosocial factors correlated directly and significantly with pain at latest follow-up (P < 0.0005). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the strongest predictor of the overall DASH score was the extent of interference with social life (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Analysis demonstrated that psychological and social factors at 3 months postoperatively have a strong correlation with negative long-term (>1 year) outcomes after proximal humerus fixation. Clinicians may offer psychological support and encourage social support to these patients postoperatively to improve pain and treatment outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

BACKGROUND:Osteoporotic hip fractures heavily cost the health care system. Clinicians and patients can benefit from improved tools to assess bone health. Herein, we aim to develop a three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method to assess cortical bone thickness and assess the ability of the method to detect regional changes in the proximal femur. METHODS:Eighty-nine patients underwent hip magnetic resonance imaging. FireVoxel and 3DSlicer were used to generate three-dimensional proximal femur models. ParaView was used to define five regions: head, neck, greater trochanter, intertrochanteric region, and subtrochanteric region. Custom software was used to calculate the cortical bone thickness and generate a color map of the proximal femur. Mean cortical thickness values for each region were calculated. Statistical t-tests were performed to evaluate differences in cortical thickness based on proximal femur region. Measurement reliability was evaluated using coefficient of variation, intraclass correlation coefficients, and overlap metrics. RESULTS:Three-dimensional regional cortical thickness maps for all subjects were generated. The subtrochanteric region was found to have the thickest cortical bone and the femoral head had the thinnest cortical bone. There were statistically significant differences between regions (p < 0.01) for all possible comparisons. CONCLUSIONS:Cortical bone is an important contributor to bone strength, and its thinning results in increased hip fracture risk. We describe the development and measurement reproducibility of an MRI tool permitting assessment of proximal femur cortical thickness. This study represents an important step toward longitudinal clinical trials interested in monitoring the effectiveness of drug therapy on proximal femur cortical thickness.

OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the clinical and functional outcomes after operative repair of nonunited lower extremity fractures initially repaired outside the developed Western world. DESIGN/METHODS:Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. SETTING/METHODS:Academic medical center. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:From September 2004 through February 2017, 227 patients who underwent operative repair of a lower extremity fracture nonunion were prospectively enrolled in a research registry. All patients underwent previous fracture surgery and had at least 12 months of postoperative follow-up. INTERVENTION/METHODS:Repair of lower extremity fracture nonunion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS/METHODS:Postoperative complications, reoperation rate, time to union, and functional outcomes were assessed using the Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment and Visual Analog Scale pain scores. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the differences in patients who underwent initial fracture repair outside the developed Western world as opposed to within the United States. RESULTS:Twenty-one patients (9.3%) underwent initial fracture repair outside the developed Western world. These patients had a greater incidence of infected nonunions (47.6% vs. 23.3%; P = 0.015) and failure of a previous implant at the time of presentation (52.4% vs. 22.8%; P = 0.003) than those initially managed within the United States. This cohort also experienced a greater rate of postoperative complications after nonunion repair (23.8% vs. 6.3%; P = 0.016). The geographic location of initial fracture repair was not associated with postoperative Short Musculoskeletal Function Assessment scores or Visual Analog Scale pain scores after controlling for possible confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS:Patients who present with a nonunited lower extremity fracture initially repaired outside the developed Western world experience a high rate of postoperative complications after fracture nonunion repair but can expect good short- and long-term functional outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE/METHODS:Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

CASE/METHODS:An 65-year-old immunocompetent female developed a Leclercia adecarboxylata infection following the repair of closed olecranon fracture. L. adecarboxylata is associated with polymicrobial infections, infections in immunocompromised patients and penetrating or open wounds. Following speciation, intravenous ceftriaxone was started. Two weeks later, the patient presented with leukopenia and neutropenia. Per infectious disease recommendations, the patient was switched to intravenous ertapenem with resolution of both infection and neutropenia. The olecranon fracture went on to heal fully. CONCLUSIONS:This case describes a rare postoperative monomicrobial infection with L. adecarboxylata in an immunocompetent host following musculoskeletal trauma and identifies L. adecarboxylata as a potential emerging hospital-acquired pathogen following orthopedic surgery.

Background/UNASSIGNED:The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of preoperative and postoperative radiographic union scores for tibia fractures (RUST) to predict treatment success of tibia fracture nonunion. Materials and methods/UNASSIGNED:Patients presenting for operative treatment of tibia fracture nonunion were enrolled in a prospective data registry. Enrolled patients were followed at regular intervals for 12 months. Preoperative and 12 week postoperative radiographs were reviewed and scored using the RUST criteria. Postoperative time to union was determined by clinical and radiographic measures. Multivariate regressions were conducted to predict time to union using preoperative and postoperative RUST while controlling for treatment method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was conducted to determine the accuracy of preoperative RUST in predicting failure of treatment. Results/UNASSIGNED:Sixty-eight patients with aseptic tibia fracture nonunion treated operatively were identified. Sixty-one patients achieved union. Mean preoperative RUST was 7.5 (SD 1.4). Mean postoperative RUST was 9.2 (SD 1.4). Multivariate linear regressions demonstrated that preoperative (p = 0.043) and postoperative (p = 0.007) RUST are significant predictors of time to union after tibia fracture nonunion surgery. ROC curve demonstrated preoperative RUST below 7 was a good predictor of developing persistent tibia fracture nonunion (AUC = 0.83, Sensitivity = 1.000, Specificity = 0.745). Conclusions/UNASSIGNED:RUST preoperatively and postoperatively predicts outcome after nonunion surgery. RUST can be used as part of the complete clinical picture to shape patient expectations and guide treatment.

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Monteggia fractures are rare, although complex elbow injuries. Bado II Monteggia fractures are characterized by posterior dislocation of the radial head and concurrent fracture of the proximal or middle third of the ulna. This video demonstrates the open reduction and internal fixation of a complex Bado II Monteggia fracture dislocation. METHODS:The patient is a 65-year-old woman with a Bado II Monteggia fracture after a low-energy fall from standing height. Given the extent of comminution and the instability of the elbow, the patient was indicated for surgical fixation. RESULTS:This video demonstrates a locking plate technique for repair of a comminuted fracture of the proximal ulna. Anatomical reduction of ulnohumeral and radiocapitellar joints and stable fixation with bone grafting of the fracture are achieved with a medial 2.0/2.4-mm plate and a dorsal precontoured variable-angle locking plate. Demonstration of radial head arthroplasty is provided as an alternative for utilization in cases with a radial head fracture. CONCLUSIONS:Anatomical reduction and fixation of complex Monteggia fracture dislocations can be achieved with adherence to standard aspects of bony reconstruction. In this video we present the case of a Bado II Monteggia fracture surgically repaired with a locking plate construct.