Surgical site infections (SSIs) after spinal fusion surgery increase healthcare costs, morbidity and mortality. Routine measures of obesity fail to consider site specific fat distribution. We aimed to assess the association between the spine adipose index and deep surgical site infection and determine a threshold value for spine adipose index that can assist in preoperative risk stratification in patients undergoing posterior instrumented lumbar fusion (PILF). A multicentre retrospective case-control study was completed. We reviewed patients who underwent PILF from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2018. All patients developing a deep primary incisional or organ-space SSI within 90 days of surgery as per US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention criteria were identified. We gathered potential pre-operative and intra-operative deep infection risk factors for each patient. Spine adipose index was measured on pre-operative mid-sagittal cuts of T2 weighted MRI scans. Each measurement was repeated twice by three authors in a blinded fashion, with each series of measurement separated by a period of at least six weeks. Forty-two patients were included in final analysis, with twenty-one cases and twenty-one matched controls. The spine adipose index was significantly greater in patients developing deep SSI (p =0.029), and this relationship was maintained after adjusting for confounders (p=0.046). Risk of developing deep SSI following PILF surgery was increased 2.0-fold when the spine adipose index was ≥0.51. The spine adipose index had excellent (ICC >0.9; p <0.001) inter- and intra-observer reliabilities. The spine adipose index is a novel radiographic measure and an independent risk factor for developing deep SSI, with 0.51 being the ideal threshold value for pre-operative risk stratification in patients undergoing PILF surgery.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with increased mortality. Lower extremity (LE) revascularization improves symptoms, but less is known about long-term survival benefits of LE arterial revascularization.Two hundred and eighty-three patients with an ankle brachial index (ABI) or=65 years (HR 2.42 [95% CI 1.52-3.85], P < 0.001), history of coronary artery disease (HR 1.67 [95% CI 1.13-2.46], P = 0.010), chronic kidney disease (HR 1.75 [95% CI 1.15-2.67], P = 0.010), and an ABI
A population-based study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the Canterbury province of New Zealand demonstrated an incidence of Crohn's disease (CD) of 16.5 per 100,000 population in 2004, along with a high rate of IBD overall. At the time, this was one of the highest rates of CD in the world. The current study aimed to ascertain the incidence of IBD in the same area 10 years later. All patients diagnosed with IBD in 2014 within the Canterbury region were identified and characterized. Diagnosis and disease classification were ascertained using standard accepted criteria. Projected population data for age and gender were used to calculate incidence rates for IBD overall and for CD, ulcerative colitis (UC), and inflammatory bowel disease-unclassified (IBDU). During the 2014 years, 205 patients were diagnosed with IBD in Canterbury. This group comprised 134 patients with CD, 69 with UC, and 2 with IBDU. The age-standardized incidence of IBD, CD, UC, and IBDU was 39.5, 26.4, 12.6, and 0.17 per 100,000, respectively. Disease location of CD patients was evenly distributed (ileal 29%, colonic 35%, and ileocolonic 32%). Similarly, patients with UC had even distribution of proctitis, left-sided, and extensive disease. This study demonstrates a substantial increase in the incidence of IBD in this geographically well-defined area. Overall, incidence rates were 1.6-fold greater than when assessed 10 years earlier. The reasons contributing to these continued increases remain unclear. However, further increases in rates of IBD indicate growing health system demands in the future.
Background: Oxford-III unicompartmental knee replacements (UKRs) are among the most commonly used prostheses to treat isolated medial compartment osteoarthritis (OA). However, the best mode of implant fixation for primary UKRs remains a source of debate. The hypothesis of this study was that the biologically superior fixation of uncemented Oxford-III primary UKRs would translate into a lower revision rate when compared with cemented Oxford-III primary UKRs used to treat isolated medial compartment OA. Methods: Data on all Oxford-III primary UKRs (n = 8,733) completed for isolated medial compartment OA from January 2000 to December 2018 were obtained from the New Zealand Joint Registry (NZJR). Revision rates were documented for each fixation type and analyzed for associations with patient sex and age at surgery. A multivariate Cox proportional-hazards analysis was completed to determine if type of fixation was an independent risk factor for revision of Oxford-III UKRs. Results: Statistical analysis revealed a >1.8-fold greater revision risk for cemented Oxford-III UKRs compared with uncemented Oxford-III UKRs (p = 0.001) when considered independently of other risk factors. Furthermore, compared with uncemented fixation, cemented fixation was associated with a 2.9-fold (p < 0.001) increase in revision risk for women <65 years old and a 1.7-fold (p = 0.008) increase in revision risk for men 55 to 74 years old. There was no significant difference in the risk of revision between fixation methods for women ≥65 years old and men ≥75 years old. Conclusions: We found that the type of fixation was an independent risk factor for revision of Oxford-III UKRs used in the treatment of isolated medial compartment OA. Uncemented Oxford-III primary UKRs had superior implant survivorship in women <65 years old and men 55 to 74 years old. Age and sex are important factors to consider when determining the type of fixation for Oxford-III primary UKRs used to treat isolated medial compartment OA. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Scapular notching is a common problem following reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). This is due to impingement between the humeral polyethylene cup and scapular neck in adduction and external rotation. Various glenoid component strategies have been described to combat scapular notching and enhance impingement-free range of motion (ROM). There is limited data available detailing optimal glenosphere position in RSA with an onlay configuration. The purpose of this study was to determine which glenosphere configurations would maximise impingement free ROM using an onlay RSA prosthesis. A three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) scan of a shoulder with Walch A1, Favard E0 glenoid morphology was segmented using validated software. An onlay RSA prosthesis was implanted and a computer model simulated external rotation and adduction motion of the virtual RSA prosthesis. Four glenosphere parameters were tested; diameter (36mm, 41mm), lateralization (0mm, 3mm, 6mm), inferior tilt (neutral, 5 degrees, 10 degrees), and inferior eccentric positioning (0.5mm, 1.5mm. 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.5mm). Eighty-four combinations were simulated. For each simulation, the humeral neck-shaft angle was 147 degrees and retroversion was 30 degrees. The largest increase in impingement-free range of motion resulted from increasing inferior eccentric positioning, gaining 15.0 degrees for external rotation and 18.8 degrees for adduction. Glenosphere lateralization increased external rotation motion by 13. 6 degrees and adduction by 4.3 degrees. Implanting larger diameter glenospheres increased external rotation and adduction by 9.4 and 10.1 degrees respectively. Glenosphere tilt had a negligible effect on impingement-free ROM. Maximizing inferior glenosphere eccentricity, lateralizing the glenosphere, and implanting larger glenosphere diameters improves impingement-free range of motion, in particular external rotation, of an onlay RSA prosthesis. Surgeons’ awareness of these trends can help optimize glenoid component position to maximise impingement-free ROM for RSA. Further studies are required to validate these findings in the context of scapulothoracic motion and soft tissue constraints.