Survey of Utilization of Weightbearing Computed Tomography Within AOFAS Membership.

Background: Weightbearing computed tomography (WBCT) has been increasingly employed to evaluate and treat patients with varied pathologies such as progressive collapsing foot deformity (PCFD), posttraumatic deformity, hallux valgus, ankle arthritis, Charcot arthropathy, lisfranc, and syndesmosis injuries. However, little is known regarding its overall availability to foot and ankle providers and how it is being used in clinical practice. The goal of this study is to assess the utilization of WBCT among AOFAS members, identify the indications for use in clinical practice and potential barriers for implementation.

The Effect of Chilled vs Room-Temperature Irrigation on Thermal Energy Dissipation During Minimally Invasive Calcaneal Osteotomy of Cadaver Specimens.

Background: Minimally invasive (MIS) calcaneal osteotomy has grown in popularity in recent years to address hindfoot deformity. A potential complication is thermal bone necrosis secondary to heat generation from the burr that may lead to osteotomy nonunion. Irrigation is commonly employed to reduce this risk.

Early Catastrophic Failure of a Synthetic Cartilage Implant for Hallux Rigidus.

Hallux rigidus is a common arthritic disorder of the foot. Surgical treatments are varied, from isolated cheilectomy to arthrodesis. A synthetic cartilage implant has been embraced recently as a joint-sparing alternative to arthrodesis, with good early and midterm outcomes.

Management of Hallux Valgus in Metatarsus Adductus.

Metatarsus adductus is common clinical entity with an estimated prevalence of approximately 30%. Multiple radiographic methods exist to evaluate the extent of the deformity, with the Sgarlato and Engel methods most commonly used. Surgical treatment varies, consisting of proximal versus distal metatarsal osteotomies, TMT arthrodesis, and realignment of the lesser rays.

State of the Art in Lesser Metatarsophalangeal Instability.

Advancements in lesser metatarsophalangeal (MTP) instability have involved the use of minimally invasive surgery techniques, synthetic augmentation of existing transfers, and use of arthroscopy for both diagnosing and addressing MTP disorder. Advances in imaging modalities, particularly MRI, have aided in diagnosing subtle instability. Clinical outcomes seem to be similar to traditional approaches as the indications and applicability continue to evolve.

Biomechanical Comparison of the Influences of 2 Proximal Metatarsal Osteotomies on First Ray Articular Contact Characteristics.

Background: An understudied area of proximal first metatarsal osteotomies is the effect on articular contact properties following the surgeries. Potential long-term risks include altered joint mechanics and possible arthritic progression. A biomechanical comparison of articular characteristics of the proximal opening wedge and Ludloff osteotomies was performed in this study.

Correction of moderate to severe coronal plane deformity with the STAR ankle prosthesis.

Background: Prior studies have demonstrated a correlation between the degree of preoperative coronal plane deformity and failure following ankle replacement. We reviewed all of our patients who underwent ankle replacement utilizing the STAR prosthesis from 2000 to 2009 to evaluate the outcome of those with moderate (10 to 19 degrees) and severe (20 degrees or greater) coronal plane deformity.

Materials And Methods: Out of 130 consecutive patients, 43 patients had at least 10 degrees of preoperative coronal plane deformity.

The correction of pelvic obliquity in patients with cerebral palsy and neuromuscular scoliosis: is there a benefit of anterior release prior to posterior spinal arthrodesis?

Study Design: A retrospective study of 61 patients with cerebral palsy (CP) and neuromuscular scoliosis treated by either a combined anterior-posterior spinal arthrodesis or a posterior-only arthrodesis with the unit rod.

Objectives: Compare coronal and sagittal plane radiographic outcomes in patients undergoing either a combined anterior-posterior spinal fusion (PSF) or a posterior-only fusion with the unit rod for neuromuscular scoliosis in patients with CP.

Summary Of Background Data: Although an anterior release before posterior spinal arthrodesis is commonly done for larger and stiffer neuromuscular curves, it is unclear whether or not an all-posterior construct produces similar correction in pelvic obliquity as that seen with an anterior-posterior spinal fusion.

Effect of interleukin-10 overexpression on the properties of healing tendon in a murine patellar tendon model.

Purpose: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine shown to inhibit scar formation in fetal wound healing. The role of IL-10 in adult tendon healing and scar formation, however, remains unknown. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of IL-10 overexpression on the properties of adult healing tendon using a well-established murine model of tendon injury and a lentiviral-mediated method of IL-10 overexpression.

Streamlining the evaluation of low back pain in children.

Unlabelled: The workup of low back pain in children often results in overimaging so as not to miss organic back pain. The primary goal of this study was to identify which combination of imaging modalities provides the most sensitive and specific screening protocol for children with low back pain. Medical records from 100 consecutive patients between 2 and 18 years of age presenting with low back pain, without night pain or constitutional symptoms, were evaluated.

The parallax effect in the evaluation of range of motion in lumbar total disc replacement.

Background: Range of motion (ROM) has been shown to influence clinical outcomes of total disc replacement (TDR). While the parallax effect in image acquisition has been shown in the literature to influence the accuracy of a variety of measurements, this concept has not been investigated in the assessment of ROM analysis following TDR. We performed an evaluation of the influence of radiograph beam angle on "by hand" and on "gold standard" flexionextension ROM measurements in lumbar total disc replacement.