Zone 2 5th Metatarsal Fractures Treated Nonoperatively Have Similar Time to Healing to Those Treated Operatively

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the time to clinical and radiographic healing in Zone 2 proximal 5th metatarsal (MT) fractures and to compare these outcomes to those of Zone 2 fractures treated operatively. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of all Zone 2 metatarsal fractures seen at a single large, urban, academic medical center between December 2012 and April 2022 was performed. Zone 2 injuries were defined as fractures entering the proximal 4-5 MT articulation on the oblique radiographic view. Clinical healing was characterized by the return to baseline ambulatory function without discomfort and a lack of tenderness on physical examination. Radiographic healing was defined as complete osseous consolidation. A total of 374 patients with Zone 2 proximal 5th MT fractures were included in the analysis. The mean age of patients was 53.8 +/- 16.6 years, and 74.3% were female. Results: 93.3% of patients with Zone 2 metatarsal fractures were treated nonoperatively. In the nonoperative group, 6.6% experienced delayed bony union with incomplete radiographic healing after 6 months, compared to 16.0% of the operative group (p = 0.095). However, by 1 year post-injury, 98.9% of patients who underwent nonoperative management and 96.0% of operative patients demonstrated radiographic union. Two patients failed nonoperative management and underwent operative fixation for symptomatic nonunions. There was no difference in time to radiographic healing between patients treated nonoperatively and those treated operatively (4.4 +/- 2.8 months vs 5.4 +/- 4.7 months, p = 0.413). Similarly, there was no difference in time to clinical healing between both groups (2.3 +/- 1.9 months vs 2.6 +/- 3.8 months, p = 0.723). Conclusion: Zone 2 5th metatarsal base fractures, which are often incorrectly referred to as Jones fractures despite being proximal to the fractures originally characterized by Jones, can be successfully treated with nonoperative management. There is no evidence that operative treatment leads to significantly faster clinical or radiographic healing for patients

Variations in the Management of Zone 2 5th Metatarsal Fractures Based on Physician Specialty

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: There is a wide variation in the management of acute “Zone 2” 5th metatarsal (MT) base fractures. The purpose of this study was to quantify these differences and evaluate the effect of treating physician specialty. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with acute Zone 2 5th MT fractures who presented to a single large, urban, academic medical center between December 2012 and April 2022. Zone 2 was defined as the region of the 5th MT base bordered by the 4th and 5th MT articulation on the oblique radiographic view. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds of undergoing operative treatment based on provider specialty. Results: A total of 633 patients presented with Zone 2 fractures during the study period. 40.6% of patients initially presented to the ED, 36.3% to an urgent care (UC) center, and 23.1% directly to the office. Ultimately, 57.2% of patients were treated by orthopedic surgeons, 39.6% by podiatrists, and 3.2% by primary care physicians. For patients treated nonoperatively, the management plan significantly differed by treating specialty. Compared to podiatrists, patients treated by orthopedic surgeons were more likely to be treated in a hard sole shoe (30.8% versus 7.6%, p< 0.001) and less likely to be treated using a CAM boot (57.3% versus 76.3%, p< 0.001). Similarly, patients treated by orthopedic surgeons were more likely to be made WBAT compared to patients treated by podiatrists (71.8% versus 42.0%, p< 0.001). Conclusion: Overall, 2.5% of patients with Zone 2 metatarsal fractures were treated operatively. 0.5% of patients treated by orthopedic surgeons underwent surgery compared to 6.1% of patients treated by podiatrists (p=0.001). Furthermore, when controlling for age, sex, and time between injury and initial presentation to the office, the likelihood of undergoing operative treatment was still significantly greater when being treated by a podiatrist (OR=16.5, p=0.009). There is considerable heterogeneity among the treatment strategies for Zone 2 proximal 5th MT fractures. Compared to podiatrists, orthopedic surgeons are less likely to treat patients operatively and more likely to allow early weight bearing

Operative Treatment of Jones Fractures (OTA Type 87,5.2A) is not Associated with Earlier Clinical or Radiographic Healing

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the time to radiographic and clinical healing between patients with metadiaphyseal metatarsal fractures (True Jones) treated operatively and those treated nonoperatively. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients presenting to a single large, urban, academic hospital center with Jones fractures between December 2012 and April 2022. Jones fractures were defined as 5th metatarsal base fractures occurring in the proximal metadiaphyseal region, just distal to the articulation of the 4th and 5th metatarsals on the oblique radiographic view (Zone 3). Information regarding patient demographics, injury mechanism, clinical presentation, management, and time to healing was collected. A fracture was defined as clinically healed when the patient had returned to their baseline ambulatory status without pain and there was an absence of tenderness to palpation on physical examination. Radiographic healing was defined as the presence of complete osseous consolidation. A total of 2,466 patients presented with 5th metatarsal fractures during the study period. Results: Among all 5th metatarsal fractures, 170 patients (6.9%) were classified as “true Jones” fractures. The mean age of patients presenting with Jones fractures was 46.1 +/- 18.6 years, and 65.8% were female. 19.9% were treated operatively (92.9% with screw fixation and 7.1% with ORIF), and 80.1% were treated nonoperatively. 95.9% of patients with Jones fractures went on to heal with no difference in time to radiographic healing (p = 0.296) or clinical healing between both groups (p = 0.228). Furthermore, there was no difference between groups with respect to the proportion of patients who developed delayed radiographic union with incomplete osseous healing at 6 months post-injury (9.3% in the nonoperative group versus 10.7% in the operative group, p = 0.098). Conclusion: Contrary to popular opinion, operative treatment of true Jones fractures was not associated with faster or more reliable radiographic union or time to clinical healing compared to patients treated nonoperatively. The overall rate of nonunion in true Jones fractures was found to be lower than previously described, and there was no evidence of any difference in nonunion rate with operative treatment compared to nonoperative management

The Proximal 5th Metatarsal Fracture: A Spectrum of Misunderstood Fractures

Category: Midfoot/Forefoot; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Several different types of 5th metatarsal fractures exist and are treated with various methods of immobilization, weight bearing restrictions, and occasionally operative procedures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in clinical and radiographic outcomes between pseudo-Jones fractures (Zones 1 and 2 of the 5th MT base), True Jones fractures (Zone 3), and 5th MT shaft fractures. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients presenting to a single large, urban, academic medical center with any 5th MT fracture between 2012 and 2022. Inclusion criteria for this analysis included patient follow up until there was evidence of radiographic healing, clinical healing, or duration greater than one year following injury. Radiographs obtained at the initial presentation were reviewed and fracture patterns were categorized as either Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, or Shaft. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the effect of fracture type on the duration of healing when controlling for age, sex, BMI, smoking status, and history of diabetes. 1,279 patients with 5th metatarsal fracture met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis (mean age 49.2 +/- 17.9 years). Overall, 5.2% were treated in a splint or cast, 67.5% in a CAM boot, 20.3% in a hard sole shoe, and 7.0% without immobilization. Results: 31.2% of patients were non-weight bearing, 8.1% partial weight bearing, and 60.7% weight bearing as tolerated. There was no difference in time to radiographic union (p=0.946) or time to clinical healing (p=0.520) between any of the fracture types. Similarly, there was no difference in the proportion of patients with incomplete radiographic healing at 6 months (p=0.310) and at 1 year after injury (p=0.552) based on the fracture type. Likewise, there was no difference in any clinical or radiographic healing parameter based on fracture type for patients treated operatively. Based on linear regression model, there was no difference in the time to clinical or radiographic healing when controlling for confounding factors. Conclusion: All commonly occurring 5th metatarsal fractures, including those of both the metatarsal base and the shaft, demonstrate similar times to clinical and radiographic healing

Comparing six cardiovascular risk prediction models in Haiti: implications for identifying high-risk individuals for primary prevention

Abstract Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are rapidly increasing in low-middle income countries (LMICs). Accurate risk assessment is essential to reduce premature CVD by targeting primary prevention and risk factor treatment among high-risk groups. Available CVD risk prediction models are built on predominantly Caucasian risk profiles from high-income country populations, and have not been evaluated in LMIC populations. We aimed to compare six existing models for predicted 10-year risk of CVD and identify high-risk groups for targeted prevention and treatment in Haiti. Methods We used cross-sectional data within the Haiti CVD Cohort Study, including 1345 adults ≥ 40 years without known history of CVD and with complete data. Six CVD risk prediction models were compared: pooled cohort equations (PCE), adjusted PCE with updated cohorts, Framingham CVD Lipids, Framingham CVD Body Mass Index (BMI), WHO Lipids, and WHO BMI. Risk factors were measured during clinical exams. Primary outcome was continuous and categorical predicted 10-year CVD risk. Secondary outcome was statin eligibility. Results Sixty percent were female, 66.8% lived on a daily income of ≤ 1 USD, 52.9% had hypertension, 14.9% had hypercholesterolemia, 7.8% had diabetes mellitus, 4.0% were current smokers, and 2.5% had HIV. Predicted 10-year CVD risk ranged from 3.6% in adjusted PCE (IQR 1.7–8.2) to 9.6% in Framingham-BMI (IQR 4.9–18.0), and Spearman rank correlation coefficients ranged from 0.86 to 0.98. The percent of the cohort categorized as high risk using model specific thresholds ranged from 1.8% using the WHO-BMI model to 41.4% in the PCE model (χ2 = 1416, p value < 0.001). Statin eligibility also varied widely. Conclusions In the Haiti CVD Cohort, there was substantial variation in the proportion identified as high-risk and statin eligible using existing models, leading to very different treatment recommendations and public health implications depending on which prediction model is chosen. There is a need to design and validate CVD risk prediction tools for low-middle income countries that include locally relevant risk factors. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT03892265 .http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/173513/1/12889_2022_Article_12963.pd