Virtual Reality Distraction Is No Better Than Simple Distraction Techniques for Reducing Pain and Anxiety During Pediatric Orthopaedic Outpatient Procedures: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In-office procedures can be painful and anxiety-provoking for pediatric patients. Minimizing such pain and anxiety in children improves the patient experience and promotes a rewarding and productive patient-caregiver-provider relationship, which may for some young patients be their first memorable encounter with the healthcare system. Although virtual reality (VR) techniques have proven to be helpful in minimizing pain and anxiety during procedures in pediatric intensive care settings, it remains unclear how VR affects objective and subjective measures of pain and anxiety in children undergoing in-office orthopaedic procedures such as cast removal or percutaneous pin removal after fracture healing.

The findings of preoperative cardiac screening studies in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Introduction: We sought to evaluate findings of screening cardiac studies in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients by reviewing the echocardiograms and electrocardiograms (EKGs) performed at their preoperative evaluation for spinal fusion.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of all surgical AIS patients from 2000 to 2007 was completed (n=212). Patients with neuromuscular scoliosis, known connective tissue disease, or known/suspected cardiac disease were excluded.

The relationship between developmental dysplasia of the hip and congenital muscular torticollis.

Multiple studies report a correlation between congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) and developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) at a rate between 2% and 29%. Most of these studies were completed before the routine use of hip ultrasound. This study assesses the incidence of DDH in a referral population with CMT and the incidence of CMT in a referral population with DDH.