An Innovative Seven-year Physician Scientist Residency Training Program That Addresses the Shortage of Academic Surgeons.

Due to the declining number of scientifically trained physicians and increasing demand for high-quality literature, our institution pioneered a seven-year Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) to provide research-oriented residents the knowledge and skills for a successful academic career. The present study sought to identify orthopaedic surgeons with MD/PhD degrees, residency programs with dedicated research tracks, and to assess the effectiveness of the novel seven-year program in training prospective academic orthopaedic surgeons. Surgeons with MD/PhD degrees account for 2.

Orthopaedic Surgery Training in North Carolina: The Impact of The Flexner Report and The Sherman Antitrust Act.

The current medical schools and orthopaedic residency programs in the state of North Carolina have evolved based upon geopolitical, economic events, historical reports and regulations. The American Medical Association Committee on Medical Education, the Flexner Report and the Sherman Antitrust Act and their recommendations were codified by state regulatory agencies and state law. These important pressures created the programs as they are known today.

Management of upper extremity arterial penetrating vascular trauma.

Penetrating vascular injuries in the upper extremity are relatively uncommon; suboptimal treatment may result in significant morbidity including amputation. Arterial trauma accounted for 68% of amputations (24% in the upper extremity) during World War II. Although surgical techniques including microsurgical principles have matured, results vary secondary to the mechanism of injury, systemic factors, anatomic considerations and physiologic events.

Revision periarterial sympathectomy for recurrent digital ischaemia: a report with 11 patients.

Following periarterial sympathectomy, patients with recurrent digital ischemia due to vasospastic or vaso-occlusive disease have few remaining treatment options. We performed a retrospective review from 1997 to 2019 to determine the safety and efficacy of revision periarterial sympathectomy. Eleven patients were identified who underwent revision periarterial sympathectomy, performed on average 84 months after their initial procedure.

An Analysis of Orthopaedic Job Trends in the United States Over the Past 30 years.

Introduction: Orthopaedic surgery residency training requires 5 clinical years; fellowship subspecialty training requires an additional year. Orthopaedic surgery fellowship training has financial implications regarding potential career earnings and opportunity cost. To evaluate the effect of fellowship training on employment, 30 years of orthopaedic job advertisements were analyzed to determine fellowship requirements for academic centers, private practices, urban areas, and rural areas.

Technique of Dynamic Flexor Digitorum Superficialis Transfer to Lateral Bands for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Deformity Correction in Severe Dupuytren Disease.

Pseudo-boutonniere deformity is an uncommon complication from long-standing proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint contracture in Dupuytren disease. Prolonged flexion contracture of the PIP joint can lead to central slip attenuation and resultant imbalances in the extensor mechanism. We present a technique of flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) tendon transfer to the lateral bands to correct pseudo-boutonniere deformity at the time of palmar fasciectomy for the treatment of Dupuytren disease.

The risk of pain syndrome affecting a previously non-painful limb following trauma or surgery in patients with a history of complex regional pain syndrome.

Background And Purpose: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a challenging complication after surgery or trauma. This study sought to determine the incidence of CRPS after a second inciting event in a previously unaffected extremity in patients with a history of an ongoing CRPS diagnosis in another extremity.

Methods: A retrospective review identified patients with CRPS seen in clinic over a 20-month period.

Surgical Algorithm and Results of Isolated Traumatic Axillary Nerve Injuries.

Background: Axillary nerve injuries are common and typically occur during high-energy, traumatic events. The purpose of this study is to propose a treatment algorithm for acute isolated axillary nerve injuries and report the outcomes of surgically treated patients.

Methods: A retrospective review identified 14 patients surgically treated for an isolated axillary nerve injury.

A randomized trial of diagnostic ultrasound to improve outcomes in focal neuropathies.

Introduction: Neuromuscular ultrasound is valid, reliable, and accurate, but it is not known whether combining it with electrodiagnostic studies leads to better outcomes in individuals with focal neuropathies.

Methods: One hundred twenty individuals with focal neuropathy, based on history, examination, and electrodiagnosis, were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent neuromuscular ultrasound and were randomized to either have their ultrasound results sent to the referring physician or not have them sent.

Randomized comparison of volar locking plates and intramedullary nails for unstable distal radius fractures.

Purpose: To compare minimally invasive intramedullary nails (IMN) and volar locking plates (VLP) for the treatment of unstable distal radius fractures by evaluating postoperative subjective, radiographic, and functional outcomes. The hypothesis was that IMN patients would have less pain and required less pain medication in the early postoperative period and returned to work earlier than VLP patients.

Methods: Sixty patients with closed, displaced, unstable, extra-articular, metaphyseal fractures of the distal radius were randomized to receive a VLP or an IMN for internal fixation.

Five-year mortality for patients with end-stage renal disease who undergo upper extremity amputation.

Purpose: To compare the 5-year survival rate of patients on dialysis requiring an upper extremity amputation with those who did not require such surgery and to analyze whether such an amputation was prognostic for mortality.

Methods: The medical records of 20 consecutive patients with end-stage renal disease who received upper extremity amputations were reviewed. Control patients (n = 40) were matched based on age, sex, and duration of dialysis treatment.

Anatomic findings and outcomes associated with upper extremity arteriography and selective thrombolysis for acute finger ischemia.

Objective: Limited evidence exists to guide clinical management of acute finger ischemia (AFI). To further inform diagnostic evaluation and decision making, we evaluated anatomic findings, procedural management, and amputation-free survival in an institutional cohort of patients with AFI.

Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing transfemoral upper extremity angiography for AFI were identified.

A human hair keratin hydrogel scaffold enhances median nerve regeneration in nonhuman primates: an electrophysiological and histological study.

A human hair keratin biomaterial hydrogel scaffold was evaluated as a nerve conduit luminal filler following median nerve transection injury in 10 Macaca fascicularis nonhuman primates (NHP). A 1 cm nerve gap was grafted with a NeuraGen® collagen conduit filled with either saline or keratin hydrogel and nerve regeneration was evaluated by electrophysiology for a period of 12 months. The keratin hydrogel-grafted nerves showed significant improvement in return of compound motor action potential (CMAP) latency and recovery of baseline nerve conduction velocity (NCV) compared with the saline-treated nerves.

Effect of cyclic strain on tensile properties of a naturally derived, decellularized tendon scaffold seeded with allogeneic tenocytes and associated messenger RNA expression.

Naturally derived tendon scaffolds have the potential to improve the treatment of flexor tendon injuries. Seeded and unseeded tendon scaffolds were maintained in the presence or absence of physiologic strain for 7 days. After 7 days, the tensile properties and associated messenger RNA expression were compared.

Upper extremity spasticity in children with cerebral palsy: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the short-term outcomes of treatment with botulinum A toxin.

Purpose: Botulinum A toxin (BoNT-A) injections are used widely to manage lower extremity spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. However, their use in the upper extremity is less well defined. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of upper extremity intramuscular injections of BoNT-A in a cross-section of children with varying levels of function.

Longitudinal melanonychia: detection and management of nail melanoma.

Malignant melanoma of the nail confers a higher mortality rate compared to other cutaneous melanomas, which is often attributable to delayed diagnosis. Two-thirds of nail melanomas present as longitudinal melanonychia (LM), longitudinally-oriented brown-black bands of pigment in the nail plate. This article delineates the appropriate clinical approach toward evaluation and management of a patient with longitudinal melanonychia, which includes determining risk factors for melanoma, recognizing scenarios in which biopsy is indicated, selecting the appropriate biopsy technique, and managing a patient in whom the diagnosis of nail melanoma has been made.

The effect of botulinum neurotoxin-A on blood flow in rats: a potential mechanism for treatment of Raynaud phenomenon.

Purpose: Botulinum neurotoxin-A (BoNTA) is used to treat several disorders, including Raynaud phenomenon. Recent investigations cite toxin-induced increases in blood flow, but no mechanism for BoNTA's actions is proposed. This study hypothesized that local application of BoNTA causes arteriolar vasodilation through sympathetic blockade and results in increased blood flow.