Patellar instability is a heterogeneous group of morphological and functional disorders of the knee extensor mechanism. The medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) has been recognized as being important in stabilizing the patella and preventing lateral patellar dislocation. Recurrent dislocations in the pediatric population may benefit from surgical intervention. The aim of this study is to retrospectively evaluate adolescent patients treated with surgical reconstruction of medial patello-femoral ligament. Between January 2009 and December 2014, seven patients with patellar instability were treated at the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of the University of Catania, Sicily. Five patients (71.4%) were female and two (28.6%) were male. The mean age at the time of surgery was 14.9 ± 1.1 years (range 13–16 years). All cases were treated with reconstruction of the MPFL. Clinical outcomes and complications were reported. Mean follow-up was 26.1 ± 10.9 months (range 12–46 months). Evaluation at two years after surgery identified an average Knee Society Score (KSS) of 94.3 ± 7.4 (range 78–100). An excellent result was obtained in six patients (85.7%) and a good result was obtained in one patient (14.3%). A recurrence was reported in one patient (14.3%). This study shows that surgical treatment of patellar instability by reconstruction of MPFL leads to satisfying results at mid-term follow-up.
: Olecranon fractures are common injuries of the upper limb in adults. Simple displaced trasverse fractures are generally surgically treated with tension-band wiring (TBW) or plate fixation (PF). The purpose of this retrospective study is to compare the clinical-functional outcome, complications and reoperation rates between TBW and PF for Mayo IIA fractures.
Background: Legg–Calvè–Perthes disease (LCPD) is a common childhood disease that usually occurs in 4- to 12-year-old children. Surgical treatment consists of femoral, pelvic, or combined osteotomies. This comprehensive review aimed to investigate the mid- and long-term outcome of the surgical treatment. Methods: A systematic review of PubMed, Science Direct, and MEDLINE databases was performed by two independent authors, using the keywords “outcome”, “surgical treatment”, “pelvic osteotomy”, “femoral osteotomy”, and “Legg–Calvè–Perthes disease” to evaluate studies of any level of evidence that reported the surgical outcome of LCPD. The result of every stage was reviewed and approved by two senior investigators. Results: A total of 2153 articles were found. At the end of the screening, we selected 23 articles eligible for full-text reading according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Our analysis showed that the main prognostic factors for surgical outcome in patients with LCPD are the age at onset and the degree of initial disease severity. Conclusions: Surgical treatment in patients older than 6 years has excellent results in Herring B and B/C hips and poor results in Herring C hips, with a slight advantage for patients between 6 and 8 years old.
Background: The various mechanisms involved in peripheral nerve regeneration, induced by exercise and electrical nerve stimulation, are still unclear. Objective: The aim of this review was to summarize the influence of physical exercise and/or electrical stimulation on peripheral nerve repair and regeneration and the variation of impact of intervention depending on timing, as well as kind and dosage of the intervention. A literature survey was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, between February 2021 to July 2021, with an update in September 2022. Methodology: The literature search identified 101,386 articles with the keywords: “peripheral nerve” OR “neuropathy” AND “sprouting” OR “neuroapraxia” OR “axonotmesis” OR “neurotmesis” OR “muscle denervation” OR “denervated muscle” AND “rehabilitation” OR “physical activity” OR “physical exercise” OR “activity” OR “electrical stimulation”. A total of 60 publications were included. Eligible studies were focused on evaluating the process of nerve repair (biopsy, electromyographic parameters or biomarker outcomes) after electrical stimulation or physical exercise interventions on humans or animals with peripheral sensory or motor nerve injury. Synthesis: This study shows that the literature, especially regarding preclinical research, is mainly in agreement that an early physical program with active exercise and/or electrical stimulation promotes axonal regenerative responses and prevents maladaptive response. This was evaluated by means of changes in electrophysiological recordings of CMAPs for latency amplitude, and the sciatic functional index (SFI). Furthermore, this type of activity can cause an increase in weight and in muscle fiber diameter. Nevertheless, some detrimental effects of exercising and electrical stimulation too early after nerve repair were recorded. Conclusion: In most preclinical studies, peripheral neuropathy function was associated with improvements after physical exercise and electrical stimulation. For humans, too little research has been conducted on this topic to reach a complete conclusion. This research supports the need for future studies to test the validity of a possible rehabilitation treatment in humans in cases of peripheral neuropathy to help nerve sprouting.
Background: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterized by chronic, spontaneous and provoked pain of the distal extremities whose severity is disproportionate to the triggering event. Diagnosis and treatment are still debated and multidisciplinary. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the available literature to provide an update on the latest evidence related to the treatment of CRPS in growing age. Methods: Data extraction was performed independently by three reviewers based on predefined criteria and the methodologic quality of included studies was quantified by the Newcastle–Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale Cohort Studies. Results: At the end of the first screening, following the previously described selection criteria, we selected n = 103 articles eligible for full-text reading. Ultimately, after full-text reading and a reference list check, we selected n = 6. The articles focused on physical (PT), associated with cognitive behavioral (CBT) and pharmacological (PhT) treatments. The combination of PT + CBT shows the most efficacy as suggested, but a commonly accepted protocol has not been developed. Conclusions: Physical therapy in association with occupational and cognitive behavioral treatment is the recommended option in the management of pediatric CPRS. Pharmacological therapy should be reserved for refractory and selected patients. The design and development of a standard protocol are strongly suggested.
Nonmalignant bone tumors represent a wide variety of different entities but maintain many common features. They usually affect young patients, and most can be diagnosed through imaging exams. Often asymptomatic, they can be discovered incidentally. Due to their similarities, these tumors may be challenging to diagnose and differentiate between each other, thus the need for a complete and clear description of their main characteristics. The aim of this review is to give a picture of the benign bone tumors that clinicians can encounter more frequently in their everyday work.
Congenital talipes equinovarus, also known as clubfoot, is a relatively common skeletal deformity characterized by an excessively turned-in foot and a high medial longitudinal arch.
Three different forms of this disorder have been identified: positional or postural, idiopathic, and teratogenic or syndromic. The etiopathogenesis of this anomaly is not clearly known. Two genes, PITX-1 and RBM-10, have recently been reported to play direct or indirect roles in the pathogenesis of clubfoot. Clinical diagnosis is at a glance; X-ray analysis is initially unnecessary but should be used after treatment to follow the outcome.
Various surgical or nonsurgical methods of treatment have been applied to treat this disorder, including the Kite, Cincinnati, Bensahel/Dimeglio, and Turco techniques. Actually the Ponseti method has been considered the gold standard technique for treatment of this disorder.
We treated 132 children affected by clubfoot using the Ponseti method, with good/excellent results in 94% of the treated feet. Our experience confirms the effectiveness of the Ponseti method in the treatment of clubfoot.
Non-prosthetic peri-implant fractures (NPPIFs) are often reported mixed with periprosthetic fractures (PPFs), but they are different entities. Due to the increase in the age of the world’s population and to the intensification of surgeries for fractures, nowadays, peri-implant fractures are a very frequent entity in clinical practice, with an increasing trend expected in the future. A clear exclusive classification of NPPIFs is not reported in the literature. The aim of this study is to provide a valid comprehensive classification for all the NPPIFs. X-rays of all the peri-implant cases treated in our unit in a 3-year period were retrospectively collected. Five orthopedic surgeons reviewed 30 X-rays of NPPIFs, providing a code according to the classification proposed. After a 3-month interval, they reviewed the same X-rays. Eighteen femoral, eight humeral, and four forearm peri-implant fractures were collected and showed to the raters. Inter- and intra-observer reliability was calculated using a k-statistic, showing a moderate agreement between observers (κ = 0.73) and a substantial agreement between the observations of the same viewer (κ = 0.82). The literature lacks a comprehensive classification for peri-implant fractures that considers all the bones and all the types of implants. The proposed classification is meant to be an instrument for orthopedic surgeons to categorize these types of fractures and seems to be simple, easy to comprehend, and reproducible. This new classification can provide the orthopedic surgeon a reliable method to clearly catalogue different fractures according to the site and the implants; the physicians can use it, through a code, in clinical practice to describe an NPPIF without the need of images. Further studies may be necessary to confirm the validity and eventually to improve the suggested classification.