Discretionary Surgery: A Comparison of Workers' Compensation and Commercial Insurance.

Background: Workers' compensation is intended for injuries that occur at work and is expected to be mostly for trauma and mostly nondiscretionary conditions. We tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference in the ratio of likely discretionary to likely nondiscretionary surgery between patients treated under workers' compensation compared with commercial insurance controlling for age, sex, and anatomical site for either traumatic or nontraumatic diagnoses.

Methods: Using claims data from the Texas workers' compensation database and Truven Health commercial claims we classified International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnoses and procedure codes as likely discretionary or likely nondiscretionary, and as traumatic or nontraumatic.

Incidental Flexor Carpi Radialis Tendinopathy on Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Wrist pain is often nonspecific. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is regularly obtained to evaluate wrist pain. Variations and pathophysiology identified on MRI may not account for patient's clinical symptoms.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome After Distal Radius Fracture Is Uncommon and Is Often Associated With Fibromyalgia.

Background: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is frequently diagnosed in patients recovering from surgery or injury. The symptoms and signs included in consensus diagnostic criteria for CRPS are expected after injury. Categorizing symptoms and signs that occur on a continuum as disproportionate or not is subjective and prone to bias.

Articular Gap and Step-off Revisited: 3D Quantification of Operative Reduction for Posterior Malleolar Fragments.

Objectives: Despite advanced imaging techniques, classic measurements of fracture reduction have not been revisited to date. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of innovative measurement techniques to quantify operative fragment reduction of posterior malleolar fractures by quantification of three-dimensional computed tomography (Q3DCT).

Methods: Twenty-eight ankle fractures including a posterior malleolar fragment (AO/OTA type 44) were evaluated using 2DCT and Q3DCT to postoperatively quantify fragment reduction.