No abstract

Tension-relieving rotator cuff sutures do not add stability to the repair of 3-part proximal humerus fractures. Varus collapse and greater tuberosity displacement are common complications associated with 3-part fractures. No mechanical data exist to demonstrate benefit of adding suture to a plate and screw construct for limiting fracture displacement.

Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Background: Patients with gluteus medius tendinopathy present with laterally based hip pain that can be diagnosed under the greater trochanteric pain syndrome diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can assist in diagnosing pathology of the symptomatic hip, and when a pelvic MRI that includes both hips, the clinician may identify asymptomatic tears in the nonsurgical hip. In patients who undergo unilateral gluteus medius repairs, little is known about the prevalence or subsequent onset of clinical symptoms in the nonsurgical hip. Purpose: To describe (1) the prevalence of asymptomatic contralateral gluteus medius tears in patients with unilateral symptoms, (2) the presentation and time before symptom onset, and (3) the morphological characteristics on MRI of future symptomatic tears. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A total of 51 consecutive patients who underwent gluteus medius tear surgery were reviewed for contralateral hip pathology; of these, 43 patients were 2 years out from index surgery with reviewable preoperative MRI scans. A musculoskeletal radiologist reviewed the MRI scans for tear size, tendon retraction, and fatty infiltration using the Goutallier-Fuchs grading system. Medical record review identified contralateral hips requiring subsequent treatment. Results: Of the original 43 patients, 10 (23%) had no contralateral tear, 19 (44%) had low-grade partial tears, 9 (20%) had high-grade partial tears, and 5 (11%) had full-thickness tears. Thirty-seven patients had unilateral symptoms; the other 6 had mild contralateral hip pain at enrollment. Of the 37 patients with unilateral symptoms, 27 (73%) had a contralateral tear; of those, 10 became symptomatic at an average of 24 months after index presentation (range, 6-50 months). In patients with symptomatic progression, 7 had low-grade partial tears, 1 had a high-grade partial tear, and 2 had full-thickness tears, with an average retraction of 17 mm. Tendon tear grade on MRI did not always correlate with symptoms or future presentation. All symptomatic progression remained mild to moderate. Seven patients required a corticosteroid injection, and none needed contralateral hip surgery within 2 years. Conclusion: Of patients who underwent surgery for a gluteus medius tear, 73% (27/37) had an incidental MRI-confirmed contralateral hip abductor tear. Of these, 37% (10/27) developed symptoms consistent with greater trochanteric pain syndrome during the 2-year study period.

Patellofemoral arthritis that is due to patellofemoral instability or chronic patellofemoral maltracking can be a difficult treatment problem. Isolated patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) is a good option that preserves bone and can more accurately reproduce native kinematics when compared with total knee arthroplasty. Newer PFA designs have demonstrated improved survivorship, although survivorship has not shown equivalence with total knee replacement. It has been postulated that improving patellar tracking could potentially improve overall outcomes and survivorship for PFA. It follows then that optimizing patellar tracking in patients with patellofemoral malalignment by adding a tibial tubercle osteotomy to a PFA may improve the ultimate outcome of the procedure. The objective of this technical note is to describe our preferred method for the treatment of patients with chronic patellofemoral lateral tracking and end-stage arthritis.

Background: Anterior shoulder instability is a common complaint of young athletes. Posterior instability in this population is less well understood, and the standard of care has not been defined. The purpose of the study is to compare index frequency, treatment choice, and athlete disability following an incident of anterior or posterior shoulder instability in high school and collegiate athletes. Methods: A total of 58 high school and collegiate athletes (n¼30 athletes with anterior instability; n¼28 athletes with posterior instability) were included. Athletes suffering from a traumatic sport-related shoulder instability episode during a team-sponsored practice or game were identified by their school athletic trainer. Athletes were referred to the sports medicine physician or orthopedic surgeon for diagnosis and initial treatment choice (operative vs. nonoperative). Athletes diagnosed with traumatic anterior or posterior instability who completed the full course of treatment and provided pre-and post-treatment patient-reported outcome measures were included in the study. The frequency of shoulder instability was compared by direction, mechanism of injury (MOI), and treatment choice through c 2 analyses. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the functional outcomes by treatment type and direction of instability (a ¼ 0.05). Results: Athletes diagnosed with anterior instability were more likely to report a chief complaint of instability (70%), whereas those diagnosed with posterior instability reported a primary complaint of pain interfering with function (96%) (P ¼ .001). The primary MOI classified as a contact event was similar between anterior and posterior instability groups (77% vs. 54%, P ¼ .06) as well as the decision to proceed with surgery (60% vs. 72%, P ¼ .31). In patients with nonoperative care, athletes with anterior instability had significantly more initial disability than those with posterior instability (32AE6.1 vs. 58AE8.1, P ¼ .001). Pre-and post-treatment Penn Shoulder Scores for athletes treated with early surgery were similar (P > .05). There were no differences in functional outcomes at discharge in those treated nonoperatively regardless of direction of instability (P ¼ .24); however, change in Penn score was significantly greater in those with anterior (61AE18.7) than those with posterior (27 AE 25.2) instability (P ¼ .002). Conclusion:Athletes with anterior instability appear to have different mechanisms and complaints than those with posterior instability. Among those that receive nonoperative treatment, athletes with anterior instability have significantly greater initial disability and change in disability than those with posterior disability during course of care.Institutional review board approval for this project was received from Prisma Health (no. Pro00054926).

No abstract