Reliability and Clinical Utility of the CARDS Classification for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the reliability and clinical utility of the of the proposed CARDS classification for degenerative spondylolisthesis.

Background: The Clinical and Radiographic Degenerative Spondylolisthesis (CARDS) classification system was recently proposed as an alternative to the Meyerding system for classifying degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS).

Canted seating of the Stryker Modular Dual Mobility liner within a Trident hemispherical acetabular shell.

A 75-year-old woman who suffered a left femoral neck fracture underwent a left total hip arthroplasty using a Stryker Trident (Kalamazoo, MI) hemispherical acetabular shell and Modular Dual Mobility (MDM) metal liner. Post-operative radiographs demonstrated canted seating of the liner. The patient was taken immediately back to the operating room where the acetabular liner appeared well seated superiorly but was in a canted position inferiorly.

Risk factors for persistent dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery.

Dysphagia is a relatively common complication of anterior cervical spine surgery. Smoking has not been definitively assessed as a risk factor for dysphagia. This study examined risk factors for dysphagia, including smoking and pain severity.

A regional assessment of medicaid access to outpatient orthopaedic care: the influence of population density and proximity to academic medical centers on patient access.

Background: Access to care is limited for patients with Medicaid with many conditions, but data investigating this relationship in the orthopaedic literature are limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between health insurance status and access to care for a diverse group of adult orthopaedic patients, specifically if access to orthopaedic care is influenced by population density or distance from academic teaching hospitals.

Methods: Two hundred and three orthopaedic practices within the state of North Carolina were randomly selected and were contacted on two different occasions separated by three weeks.

The influence of patient insurance status on access to outpatient orthopedic care for flexor tendon lacerations.

Purpose: To determine the effect of patient insurance status on access to outpatient orthopedic care for acute flexor tendon lacerations.

Methods: The research team contacted 100 randomly chosen orthopedic surgery practices in North Carolina by phone on 2 different occasions separated by 3 weeks. The research team attempted to obtain an appointment for a fictitious 28-year-old man with an acute flexor tendon laceration.

Access to outpatient care for adult rotator cuff patients with private insurance versus Medicaid in North Carolina.

Background: Access to orthopaedic care for pediatric patients has been shown in previous studies to be decreased for patients with Medicaid compared with those with private insurance. The relationship between type of insurance and access to care for adult patients with acute rotator cuff tears has not yet been examined. This study aimed to determine if type of health insurance would have an impact on access to care for an adult patient with an acute rotator cuff tear.