Biomechanical Outcomes of Glenoid Bone Graft Fixation Techniques: A Systematic Review.

Background: The Latarjet and other bony augmentation procedures are commonly used to treat anterior shoulder instability in the setting of significant glenoid bone loss. Although several fixation strategies have been reported, the biomechanical strength of these techniques remains poorly understood.

Purpose: To perform a systematic review of the biomechanical strength of glenoid bony augmentation procedures for anterior shoulder instability.

Medicaid Reimbursement for 20 Commonly Billed Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Procedures Was 14.9% Less Than Medicare.

Purpose: To compare Medicaid and Medicare rates for the 20 most commonly billed orthopaedic sports medicine procedures.

Methods: Medicaid reimbursement rates were obtained from state-specific fee schedules. Medicare rates were collected from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Physician Fee Schedule, along with relative value units for each procedure.

Arthroscopy Patients in Medicare Population Became Sicker While Reimbursement Decreased From 2013 to 2020.

Purpose: To assess surgeon reimbursement for common arthroscopic procedures, including arthroscopic meniscal debridement and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, in patients with differing risk profiles within the Medicare population.

Methods: A publicly available Medicare database was used to identify all cases of arthroscopic meniscal debridement and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair procedures billed to Medicare from 2013 to 2020. The surgeon reimbursement from Medicare was collected and adjusted for inflation.

Pyruvate stimulates transamination of leucine into α-ketoisocaproic acid and supports 3-methylbutanal production by Lactococcus lactis.

Aim: To investigate the effect of pyruvate and glucose on leucine transamination and 3-methylbutanal production by Lactococcus lactis, including the comparison with cells possessing glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity.

Methods And Results: Lactococcus lactis cells were incubated in chemically defined medium (CDM) with the pH controlled at 5.2 to mimic cheese conditions.

Age-Specific Reference Intervals for Thyroid-Stimulating Hormones and Free Thyroxine to Optimize Diagnosis of Thyroid Disease.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and subsequent free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations outside the reference interval (RI) are used to diagnose thyroid diseases. Most laboratories do not provide age-specific RIs for TSH and FT4 beyond childhood, although TSH concentrations vary with age. Therefore, we aimed to establish TSH and FT4 age-specific RIs throughout life and aimed to determine whether using these RIs would result in reclassification of thyroid disease diagnoses in adults.

Declining Medicare reimbursement in spinal imaging: a 15-year review.

Objective: To analyze and quantify the change in United States of America Medicare reimbursement rates for the 30 most commonly performed spinal imaging procedures.

Materials And Methods: The Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services was utilized to find and extract the 28 most billed spinal imaging procedures. All data was adjusted for inflation and listed in 2020 US dollars.

Arthroscopic Management of the Contact Athlete with Anterior Instability.

Anterior glenohumeral instability is one of the most common injuries suffered from sport. Despite padding and conditioning, the shoulder joint remains particularly vulnerable to injury, especially in the setting of contact. The overall rate of anterior instability is reported to be 0.

Medicaid Reimbursement for Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A State-by-State Analysis Compared With Medicare.

Background: Medicare (MCR) reimbursement for arthroplasty procedures has been declining, but little has been reported on Medicaid (MCD) reimbursement. We sought to determine MCD reimbursement rates using state MCD data for nine arthroplasty procedure codes and compare them to MCR rates.

Methods: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services physician fee schedule was used to collect MCR reimbursement rates, and state MCD fee schedules were accessed to collect MCD rates for nine procedures encompassing primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty surgery.

Medicaid Reimbursement for Common Orthopaedic Trauma Procedures Is 16.0% Less Compared With Medicare With Substantial Variability Between States.

Objectives: This study seeks to evaluate the variability of Medicaid reimbursement and compare it with Medicare reimbursement using the 20 most commonly billed orthopaedic trauma Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes nationwide. The authors anticipate significant variability between states and hypothesize that Medicaid payment will be significantly less than Medicare payment.

Methods: The top 20 most common orthopaedic trauma surgery procedural codes were identified from a previous analysis performed by Haglin et al.

Arthroscopic Posterior Capsular Release Improves Range of Motion and Outcomes for Flexion Contracture After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Athletes.

Purpose: To assess outcomes of arthroscopic posterior capsular release among athletes for loss of terminal extension following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Methods: A retrospective review of prospectively collected data was performed for patients undergoing arthroscopic posterior capsular release for knee extension loss following ACL reconstruction between January 2014 and December 2019. Procedure indications included extension loss greater than 10° at least 3 months after ACL reconstruction that was refractory to physical therapy.

Patient Interest in Quadriceps Autograft Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Is Increasing Over Other Autograft Options: A 12-Year Google Trends Analysis.

Purpose: To use Google trends to explore differences in public interest among types of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) autografts, specifically quadriceps tendon, patellar tendon, and hamstring tendon autografts, between 2008 and 2019.

Methods: Data were obtained by querying Google Trends for key terms and phrases for online search data ranging from January 2008 to December 2019. Relative search volumes were created based on searches related to ACL reconstruction with comparative analysis generated for search terms related to quadriceps ACL, patellar tendon ACL, and hamstring ACL autografts.

Patellar Resurfacing Is Not a Risk Factor for Postoperative Patella Baja in Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Patella baja is a known complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). There is a limited understanding of the association between patellar resurfacing and the incidence of patella baja. We aimed to compare rates of patella baja between unresurfaced and resurfaced patellas in patients undergoing TKA.

Pseudoparalysis and Pseudoparesis of the Shoulder: Definitions, Management, and Outcomes.

Loss of shoulder function can be a complex condition to manage. Specifically, the definition between the terms pseudoparalysis and pseudoparesis remains inconsistent in the literature based on various factors including chronicity, present pathology, and the role of pain in the loss of function. There is also debate as to the optimal management strategies for these challenging conditions.

Evaluation of structural problems in the application of strict criteria for sperm morphology assessment.

Background: The WHO manual for basic semen analysis and ISO 23162 describe sperm morphology assessment as a standard part of semen analysis. Older studies showed a correlation between morphology results and (artificial) conception. In more recent studies this relationship was less apparent and there is more emphasis on sperm morphology as a marker for healthy spermatogenesis (and general male health).

Time trends in case-mix and risk of revision following hip and knee arthroplasty in public and private hospitals: a cross-sectional analysis based on 476,312 procedures from the Dutch Arthroplasty Register.

Background And Purpose: This study aims to assess time trends in case-mix and to evaluate the risk of revision and causes following primary THA, TKA, and UKA in private and public hospitals in the Netherlands.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 476,312 primary arthroplasties (public: n = 413,560 and private n = 62,752) implanted between 2014 and 2023 using Dutch Arthroplasty Register data. We explored patient demographics, procedure details, trends over time, and revisions per hospital type.

Use of a diagnostic Puumala virus real-time RT-PCR in an orthohantavirus endemic region in the Netherlands.

Unlabelled: Laboratory diagnosis of orthohantavirus infection is primarily based on serology. However, for a confirmed serological diagnosis, evaluation of a follow-up serum sample is essential, which is time consuming and causes delay. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, if positive, provide an immediate and definitive diagnosis, and accurately identify the causative agent, where the discriminative nature of serology is suboptimal.

What Patients Say About Their Orthopaedic Hand and Wrist Surgeons: A Qualitative Analysis of Negative Reviews on Yelp.

 Patients often turn to online reviews as a source of information to inform their decisions regarding care. Existing literature has analyzed factors associated with positive online patient ratings among hand and wrist surgeons. However, there is limited in-depth analysis of factors associated with low patient satisfaction for hand and wrist surgeons.

Low Risk of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Aseptic Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty With Intraosseous Vancomycin.

Background: Aseptic revisions are the most common reason for revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA). Previous literature reports early periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) rates after aseptic rTKA to range from 3 to 9.4%.

Lower Income and Nonheterosexual Orientation Are Associated With Poor Access to Care in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis.

Background: Social determinants of health are implicated in the experience of knee osteoarthritis, a key component of which is access to care and healthcare utilization. The objective of this study was to describe difficulties in access to care and healthcare utilization in the United States knee osteoarthritis population.

Methods: The publicly available All of Us Database was utilized to conduct a retrospective cohort study.

Risk Versus Reward: Hospitals Incentivized More Than Surgeons to Care for Riskier Arthroplasty Patients.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between risk and reimbursement for both surgeons and hospitals among Medicare patients undergoing primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA).

Methods: The "2021 Medicare Physician and Other Provider" and "2021 Medicare Inpatient Hospitals" files were used. Patient comorbidity profiles were collected, including the mean patient hierarchal condition category (HCC) risk score.