Statistical and clinical analysis showed that HHS is highly valid and reliable in this new Italian version.

Patient specific instrumentation (PSI) is a modern technique in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) aiming to facilitate the implant of the prosthesis. The customized cutting blocks of the PSI are generated from pre-operative three-dimensional model, using computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A correct surgical plan is mandatory for a good surgical implant. The PSI guide takes into account any slight deformities or osteophytes and applies preoperative planning for bone resection, using the pre-determined implant size, position, and rotation. The apparent benefits of this technology are that neutral postoperative alignment is more reproducible, surgical time is decreased, and the entire procedure results more efficient and cost-effective. The use of PSI is indicated when advanced osteoarthritis, severe pain, and limited function/walking ability are present, such as in a standard instrumentation TKA. In addition to that, PSI finds its indication when intra-medullary guides cannot be used. For example, when there is a post-traumatic femoral deformity. Large debates have taken place about this topic during the last years and, at the moment, there is no consensus in literature regarding the accuracy and reliability of PSI as many studies have shown controversial and inconsistent results. Literature does not suggest PSI techniques as a gold standard in TKA, and therefore it cannot be recommended as a standard technique in standard, not complicated primary TKA. Moreover, literature does not underline any improvement in components alignment, surgical time, blood loss or functional outcomes. Nevertheless, many patients who underwent TKA suffered a previous trauma. In case of deformities, like femoral or tibial fractures healed with a malalignment, preoperative planning may result difficult, and some intra-operative technical difficulties can occur, such as the use of intra-medullar rod. In these selected cases, PSIs may be very useful to avoid errors in alignment and planning.

Objectives: within this investigation we investigated several approaches to enhance the positive predictive value (PPV) of chest digital tomosynthesis (DTS) in the lung cancer detection Methods: the investigation was carried out within the SOS clinical trial (NCT03645018) for lung cancer screening with DTS. Lung nodules were identified by visual analysis and then classified using the diameter and the radiological aspect of the nodule following a modified lung-RADS classification.Haralick texture features were extracted from the segmented nodules. Both semantic variables and radiomics features were used to build a predictive model using two approaches: logistic regression model on a sub-set of variables selected with backward feature selection or machine learning using the whole sub-set of variables. We used two machine learning methods: a Random Forest and a neural network. Machine learning methods were applied to a training set and validated on a test set. Methods were compared using diagnostic accuracy metrics.Results: binary visual analysis had a good sensitivity (0.95) but a low PPV (0.14). Lung-RADS classification increased the PPV (0.19) but with an unacceptable low sensitivity (0.65). Analogously, logistic regression showed a mildly increased PPV (0.22) and a low sensitivity (0.67). Random Forest demonstrated a low accuracy with a moderate PPV (0.40) but with a dramatically low sensitivity (0.30). Neural network demonstrated to be the best predictor with a nearly perfect PPV (0.95) and a high sensitivity (0.90).Conclusions: among the various technique to reduce the false positive rates of DTS the neural network demonstrated a very high PPV. The use of visual analysis along with neural network could help radiologists to depict a follow-up strategy after a positive DTS.

Background and Objectives Limb salvage surgery remains the standard treatment in bone and soft tissue tumors. Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) is the most used quality of life measure. Our objective was to perform cross‐cultural adaptation and validation in Italian, testing test‐retest reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness. Methods We interviewed patients already treated for content validity. A total of 124 patients completed TESS and other questionnaires presurgery, at 3 months, 3 months + 2 weeks, and 6 months follow‐up. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for reliability, associations with Pearson's r, and change over time with paired T tests. Results A new item regarding touch‐screen devices was added to the upper extremity (UE) questionnaire. ICC resulted of 0.99 for lower extremity (LE) and 0.98 for UE patients, Pearson's r between TESS and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society was .66 and .64, EuroQol‐5D‐5L r was .62 and .61, and r between TESS and short form‐36 physical function subscale was .76 and .71 for LE and UE groups, respectively. Paired T test results were statistically significant to detect change over time (0.03, 0.04, and 0.04 for LE groups and 0.03, 0.01, and 0.04 for UE groups). Conclusion The Italian version of TESS can be used for the bone and soft tissue sarcoma population in clinical trials in Italy and with Italian speaking patients abroad to ensure patients’ perspectives for efficacy and efficiency of treatments.

The anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is a common procedure that improves stability and function of the knee. The surgical technique continues to evolve and many issues are still under debate. These mainly include: (1) graft selection (patellar tendon, hamstring, quadriceps tendon, or allografts), (2) surgical technique (double versus single bundle), and (3) femoral tunnel drilling. Currently, the most controversial one is the femoral tunnel drilling (transtibial vs. anteromedial portal drilling). Common opinion is that drilling the femoral tunnel through the anteromedial (AM) allows a more anatomic placement of the graft and a better rotational stability; therefore, this technique is gaining in popularity compared with the transtibial drilling despite a greater difficulty and the risk of medial condyle damage, tunnel back wall blowout, and inadequate socket length. The aim of this article is to describe the surgical technique of the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (single and double bundle), drilling the femoral tunnel through the AM portal.

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