The LTS was significantly associated with an increased risk of ACL injury in pediatric and adolescent patients. The MTS was not associated with risk of injury. Posterior slope was found to decrease, or flatten, with age. A cutoff of >4° for the posterior slope of the lateral compartment is 76% sensitive and 75% specific for predicting ACL injury in this cohort. The LTS did not influence the incidence of ACL injury differently between sexes.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common and devastating injury with long-term sequelae that include meniscal tears, chondral injury, and an increased risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA). ACL reconstruction is recommended to protect against knee instability, reduce the likelihood of meniscal tears and further surgery, and enable earlier return to sporting activities. ACL reconstruction, however, does not reduce the incidence of early-onset OA. In this review, we discuss the factors before and after surgery that are believed to contribute to the premature development of degenerative joint disease.

Objective To characterize the graft survivorship and clinical outcomes of osteochondral allograft transplantation (OCA) of the knee in patients with an elevated body mass index (BMI). Design Prospective data on 38 consecutive patients with a BMI ≥30 kg/m treated with OCA from 2000 to 2015 were reviewed. Complications, reoperations, and patient responses to validated outcome measures were examined. Failures were defined by any removal/revision of the allograft or conversion to arthroplasty. Results Thirty-one knees in 31 patients (mean age, 35.4 years [range, 17-61 years]; 87% male) met the inclusion criteria. Mean BMI was 32.9 kg/m (range, 30-39 kg/m). Mean chondral defect size was 6.4 cm (range, 1.0-15.3 cm). Prior to OCA, 23 patients (74%) had undergone previous surgery to the ipsilateral knee. Mean duration of follow-up was 4.1 years (range, 2-11 years). After OCA, 5 knees (13%) underwent conversion to unicompartmental (1) or total (4) knee arthroplasty. Two- and 5-year graft survivorship were 87% and 83%, respectively. At final follow-up, clinically significant improvements were noted in the pain (49.3-72.6) and physical functioning (52.9-81.3) subscales of the Short Form-36 ( P ≤ 0.001), International Knee Documentation Committee subjective form (43.5-67.0; P = 0.002), Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living (58.2-80.4; P = 0.002), and overall condition subscale of the Cincinnati Knee Rating System (4.7-6.9; P = 0.046). Conclusions OCA can be a successful midterm treatment option for focal cartilage defects of the knee in select patients with a BMI ≥30 kg/m.

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The results of the current study suggest that clinical outcome scores decline over time in patients treated arthroscopically for symptomatic discoid meniscus. Compared to our previous study with 2-year follow-up, there is an increased incidence of knee pain and mechanical/functional limitations. The overall modest, long-term results of this study illustrate the need for improved operative treatments for symptomatic discoid meniscus in children to prevent progressive, long-term clinical decline in these patients.

Pediatric flatfeet range from the painless flexible normal variant of growth, to stiff or painful manifestations of tarsal coalition, collagen abnormalities, neurologic disease, or other underlying condition. Most children with flexible flatfeet do not have symptoms and do not require treatment. In symptomatic children, orthotics, osteotomies, or fusions may be considered. Arthroereisis has gained popularity in Europe, but has not been widely adopted in North America. Children with asymptomatic rigid flatfeet may not require treatment, whereas those with pain or functional deficits may benefit from orthotics, osteotomies, or fusions. A careful history, clinical exam, and selective diagnostic testing can be used to determine the appropriate treatment option for each child.

An 88-year-old white male presented with a rapidly growing skin nodule on the scalp. Clinically, the nodule did not appear unusual for an ordinary cutaneous neoplasm on sun-exposed skin of an elderly white male. Histopathological examination showed sheet-like epithelioid tumor cell growth with a vaguely nested pattern and frank malignant features, resembling malignant melanoma. However, the tumor cells possessed irregularly convoluted nuclei with nuclear groves, frequent multinucleation and fine vesicular cytoplasm, features highly suggestive of histiocytes. Immunohistochemistry studies showed that the tumor cells were diffusely positive for S-100 protein and CD1a and negative for HMB-45, Melan-A, cytokeratin and CD30. The provisional diagnosis of Langerhans cell sarcoma was thus favored. To confirm this diagnosis, electron microscopic examination was performed. Although classic features of histiocytes were readily identifiable, no Birbeck granules could be found upon a thorough search on repeated sections. These results are indicative of the indeterminate cell nature of the tumor. We propose a diagnosis of primary cutaneous indeterminate cell sarcoma for this unusual histiocytic neoplasm. Current classification of histiocytic neoplasms and differential diagnosis are reviewed.

Objective The use of pledgeted sutures to secure the prosthetic valve to the annulus during aortic valve replacement is thought to decrease the incidence of paravalvular leak. We hypothesized that use of nonpledgeted sutures in aortic valve replacement would provide equivalent outcomes to those of a pledgeted suture technique. Methods Between January 1995 and April 2009, a total of 802 patients (511 nonpledgeted, 291 pledgeted) underwent isolated aortic valve replacement, including 671 patients who underwent primary, isolated aortic valve replacement (412 nonpledgeted, 259 pledgeted). Preoperative risk, intraoperative findings, and postoperative complications, including operative mortality, were evaluated. Results Operative mortalities in isolated AVR operations were similar at 2.5% and 3.1% (P > .66) for nonpledgeted and pledgeted groups, respectively. Paravalvular leak rates after aortic valve replacement were equivalent in nonpledgeted and pledgeted groups (0.8% vs 1.4%, respectively, P = .47). Reoperation for paravalvular leak was rare in both groups. Importantly, the nonpledgeted technique incurred significantly shorter aortic crossclamp time (58.1 ± 0.3 minutes vs 61.6 ± 0.4 minutes, P < .001) and cardiopulmonary bypass time (87.5 ± 0.8 minutes vs 90.3 ± 0.8 minutes, P = .02) than did the pledgeted technique. Conclusions A nonpledgeted suture technique offers an equivalent alternative to the traditional use of pledgets during aortic valve replacement, with no increase in paravalvular leak rate. This nonpledgeted suture technique provides a time efficient and safe approach to aortic valve replacement operations.