Patellofemoral Instability

Recurrent patellofemoral instability is a common cause of knee pain and functional disability in adolescent and young adult patients, resulting in loss of time from work and sports. There are numerous factors that contribute to recurrent patellofemoral instability; these factors include tear of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL), weakening or hypoplasia of the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO), trochlear dysplasia, increased tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance (>20 mm), valgus malalignment, increased Q angle, malrotation secondary to internal femoral or external tibial torsion, patella alta, and generalized ligamentous laxity. A detailed history and a thorough physical examination are crucial to clinch an early, accurate diagnosis. Imaging studies play an important role to confirm the clinical diagnosis and also help to identify concomitant intra-articular pathologies. Initially, nonoperative management (including the use of physical therapy, patellar taping or brace) is offered to patients with acute, first-time patellar dislocations and most patients respond well to this mode of treatment. Surgical treatment is indicated for patients who have post-trauma osteochondral fracture or loose body; predisposing anatomical risk factors; recurrent, symptomatic instability; and who have failed an adequate trial of nonoperative management. Surgical treatments include MPFL reconstruction, proximal or distal realignment procedures, and trochleoplasty. Lateral release is often performed in combination with other procedures and seldom performed as an isolated procedure. An individualized case-by-case approach is recommended based on the underlying anatomical risk factors and radiographic abnormality

Cost of Treatment for Proximal Humerus Fractures: An Acute and 90-Day Cost Evaluation

The purpose of this study was to examine the 90-day costs of three common surgical treatments for proximal humerus fractures and compare the costs associated with the initial day and subsequent 89 days of care. This was conducted through a retrospective review of a national database examining patients who suffered proximal humerus fractures. Patients were stratified by type of surgical procedure performed, hemiarthroplasty (HA), reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA), and open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). RSA was the most costly procedure for the same-day and 90-day costs (p < 0.001). Mean initial day reimbursement costs were significantly different among treatment groups, with the highest costs seen with RSA ($16,151), followed by HA ($9,348), and ORIF ($6,745). Subsequent 89-day reimbursement costs were not significantly different for RSA, HA, and ORIF (p = 0.112). The 90-day costs for the surgical treatment of proximal humerus fractures are driven by the initial day costs. RSA was associated with the highest cost, followed by HA and ORIF

Trends in Hip Resection Arthroplasty in the Medicare Patient Population from 2005 to 2012

Abstract Hip resection arthroplasty (HRA) is a relatively uncommon, yet viable surgical procedure originally developed by Girdlestone for osteomyelitis of the proximal femur. Currently, HRA is primarily indicated as a salvage procedure after a failed total hip arthroplasty. Despite a continuous rise in the rates of primary and revision hip arthroplasty, there is a lack of published evidence regarding the extent of HRA's current use and its recent trends. We sought to provide an epidemiological description of the recent utilization patterns of HRA in the United States. A level of evidence IV, retrospective case series review of the entire Medicare files between 2005 and 2012 was conducted through the use of current procedural terminology codes and International Classification of Disease ninth edition codes. Linear regressions and chi-square tests were used for analysis. Subgroup analysis was performed by patient age. The total number of HRAs performed between 2005 and 2012 significantly decreased from 4,248 to 3,872 ( p  = 0.025). There was a significant increase in the annual incidence of HRA among patients younger than 65 years ( p  = 0.027; 9% increase) and patients 65 to 69 years old ( p  = 0.007; 22% increase), constituting 43% of the total patients. There was a significant decrease in HRA incidence among patients 80 to 84 years old ( p  = 0.001; 32% decrease) and patients 85 years old and over ( p  = 0.002; 24% decrease). Geographic analysis demonstrated the most HRA procedures were performed in the South, whereas gender focused analysis demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in HRA incidence for females ( p  = 0.003; 6% decrease) and a significant increase in incidence for males ( p  = 0.003; 7% increase). The overall annual incidence of HRA performed in the Medicare patient population has significantly decreased in recent years. However, this conceals an increased incidence among the relatively younger patient population. Potential causes for these opposing trends include changes in rates of revision surgery, alternative indications for surgery, advances in hardware, and surgeon expertise. This was a level of evidence IV, retrospective case series study

Trends in surgical management of proximal humeral fractures in the Medicare population: a nationwide study of records from 2009 to 2012

Surgical management of proximal humeral fractures has reportedly increased in recent years. Much of this growth relates to a growing elderly population, together with the introduction of modern implants, such as locking plates and, recently, introduction of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). This study evaluated trends in surgical management of proximal humeral fractures from 2009 to 2012 by analyzing the use of hemiarthroplasty (HA), RSA, and osteosynthesis (open reduction with internal fixation [ORIF]) within the Medicare patient population. We retrospectively reviewed a comprehensive Medicare patient population database within the PearlDiver supercomputer (Warsaw, IN, USA) for proximal humeral fractures treated with HA, RSA, or ORIF. Total use, annual utilization rates, age, and gender were investigated. Within the study period, 32,150 proximal humeral fractures were treated operatively, with no significant change in annual volume (P = .119). The percentage of fractures treated surgically decreased significantly from 16.2% to 13.9% (P < .001). The utilization rate decreased significantly for HA from 52% to 39% (P < .001), increased significantly for RSA from 11% to 28% (P < .001), and did not change significantly for ORIF (P = .164). The utilization rate of RSA nearly tripled for patients older than 65 years (11% to 29%) and doubled for patients younger than 65 (6% to 12%). From 2009 to 2012, utilization rates of ORIF remained fairly constant. HA remains the most commonly used surgical treatment for proximal humeral fractures in the Medicare population, but its use has declined significantly. This decline has been offset by a corresponding increase in RSA

National use of total hip arthroplasty among patients with a history of breast, lung, prostate, colon or bladder cancer—an analysis of the Medicare population

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a common and growing procedure in the United States. Concomitantly, there has been a rise in patients diagnosed with certain types of malignancies including solid organ ones. Unfortunately there is limited data available in the literature that describes the use of THA in patients who concomitantly have one of these forms of cancer. Because of the limited data available in the literature regarding this topic, the purpose of this study was to analyze the trends in use of THA among patients with the five most common malignancies in the United States, which include breast, lung, prostate, colon and bladder cancer according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). We conducted a retrospective review of the entire Medicare patient population to analyze the use of THA in patients with a diagnosis of solid organ malignancy including breast, lung, prostate, colon and bladder cancer. Our analysis of over 14 million patients, demonstrate that THA is not as commonly performed procedure in patients with such diagnoses with a 0.26% prevalence. The mean incidence of THA was 0.29%, 0.17%, 0.31%, 0.33% and 0.36% for patients with breast, lung, prostate, colon and bladder cancer respectively. THA in cancer patients are not frequently performed but the use of this technique has increased significantly in patients with lung, prostate and bladder cancer