Return to sports likely even with traumatic type II lesions

Jennie McKee

Arthroscopic SLAP repair yields mostly favorable outcomes Although most patients with type II superior labral anterior posterior (SLAP) lesions who are treated arthroscopically can expect good results, athletes with a distinct traumatic etiology have a significantly greater likelihood of a successful return to sports, said the authors of a study presented at the AAOS 75th Annual Meeting. “The return to competition in the traumatic cohort was 92 percent,” reported primary author Stephen F.

Second Look

If you missed these Headline News Now items the first time around, AAOS Now gives you a second chance to review them. Headline News Now— the AAOS thrice-weekly, online update of news of interest to orthopaedic surgeons—brings you the latest on clinical, socioeconomic, and political issues, as well as important announcements from AAOS.

Patient characteristics affect rotator cuff outcomes

Peter Pollack

Age and tear size are predictors for healing Do women have worse outcomes after rotator cuff repair than men? Is surgery more successful among younger patients? What impact does tear size or use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have on healing? These were the questions that Barrett S. Brown, MD, and his colleagues hoped to answer with their prospective study evaluating the effect of patient characteristics on outcomes of arthroscopic treatment of rotator cuff repair.

Knee simulator project moves from back room to main hall

Peter Pollack

Virtual knee trainer shows progress; validation studies beginning A year ago, at the 2007 AAOS Annual Meeting, the Virtual Reality Arthroscopic Knee Surgery Simulator Project was tucked away in a private room. But in San Francisco in March 2008, the simulator was given a prominent position in the AAOS Resource Center, where any passerby could stop, watch, and try it out.

Meetings and Course Listings

Listed below are upcoming continuing medical education (CME) courses and orthopaedic meetings (June through October 2008). For more information about AAOS-sponsored courses, contact the AAOS customer service department at (800) 626-6726 or visit the CME course section of the AAOS Web site at www.aaos.org/courses For more information about other CME courses or orthopaedic meetings, contact the source provided.

Study shows surgical skills are transferable

Jennie McKee

Hemiarthroplasty by high-volume THA surgeons yields better outcomes Hemiarthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty (THA) are two different procedures. But a study presented at the 75th AAOS Annual Meeting seems to indicate that physicians who perform a high number of THAs can transfer those skills to hemiarthroplasty, and their patients may have better results than patients whose surgeons performed fewer THAs.

“Test driving” ACL reconstruction in young athletes

Annie Hayashi

3-D model provides critical parameters to prevent physeal injury Among young athletes, the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures is rising. Because these patients are often skeletally immature, ACL reconstruction risks damaging the growth plate and causing long-term growth disturbances.

Screw vs. tightrope fixation for syndesmotic fractures

Mary Ann Porucznik

Will buttons and a tightrope replace screws? Syndesmotic injuries to the ankle occur in approximately 10 percent of all patients with ankle fractures, but they can also occur with soft-tissue injuries in the absence of fracture. They usually result from severe external rotation of the ankle, and treatment remains controversial. Historically, treatment has involved tibiofibular transfixation using a syndesmotic screw.

Elbow overuse injuries common in young baseball players

Carolyn Rogers

Elbow overuse injuries are on the rise among young baseball players, according to a paper presented at the 75th AAOS Annual Meeting in San Francisco. “Our study found that 40 percent of child and adolescent baseball players had elbow pain and about 20 percent had osteochondral lesions,” reported Tetsuya Matsuura, MD. “The medial epicondyle was the most vulnerable area.”

What’s better: ankle arthrodesis or ankle replacement?

Jennie McKee

AOFAS 2008 Specialty Day explored the treatment of end-stage ankle arthritis “Significant uncertainty exists about the proper role of ankle arthroplasty in the treatment of ankle arthritis,” said Nelson Fong SooHoo, MD, of the UCLA Center for Surgical Outcomes and Quality, who presented the results of a study comparing the reoperation rates of ankle arthrodesis and ankle replacement (Fig. 1) during the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society’s (AOFAS) 2008 Specialty Day program.

The ACL “window of opportunity”

Annie Hayashi

Surgery within 12 weeks of injury helps reduce meniscal tears “We found a strong association between the time from injury to surgery (TFI) of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the incidence, complexity, and reparability of meniscus tears,” said Kevin Willits, MD, of London, Ontario, Canada.

MACT shows promise in repairing osteochondral defects of the talus

Jennie McKee

Study finds good-to-excellent clinical results after failed primary surgical treatment If traditional surgical treatments fail to repair articular cartilage lesions of the talus, what other surgical procedures might be effective? According to Christoph Becher, MD, a presenter at the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society’s 2008 Specialty Day, matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) is a valid option. Dr.

Don’t shave unless you have to!

Gregory P. Nowinski, MD

Clipping and depilatories are more effective in lowering infection risk Prepping a patient for surgery frequently involves removing the hair around the surgical site. Studies have shown a direct link between surgical site infections and hair removal, although questions remain about the best method to use.