“Tommy John” Surgeries: Pearls, Pitfalls, and Protocols

A roundtable on treating ulnar collateral ligament overuse injuries The incidence of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) overuse injuries has increased substantially in recent years—and not only among major league baseball players. According to the results of one study, about 60 percent of professional pitchers had a precipitating minor injury to the UCL when they were in youth baseball. Recently, AAOS Now editorial board member Frank B.

Measuring Radiation Exposure from Fluoroscopy

Jennie McKee

Certain intraoperative fluoroscopy views may expose orthopaedic surgeons to a greater degree of radiation than other views, according to a study presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS). Research presented by LCDR Michael Kuhne, MD, suggests that lateral views of the lumbar spine, hip, and thoracic spine expose the surgical team to the most radiation.

Identifying Injury Patterns in Pediatric ATV and Motorbike Trauma

Jennie McKee

“In Texas and other places in the Southwest, there’s an abundance of open space available for riding motorbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)—leisure activities that can lead to devastating injuries in the pediatric population,” noted Ryan A. Rose, MD, a Dallas-based orthopaedic surgeon. According to Dr. Rose, children injured while riding the two-wheeled motorbikes may have different injury characteristics than children injured while riding the four-wheeled ATVs.

Top 5 Medical Clearance Issues Before Surgery

Jordyn Griffin, MD

You’ve spent hours preparing your patient for surgery—explaining the procedure, getting the informed consent, verifying insurance, and making sure that postoperative help is available. But then you get the medical clearance report with a “delay surgery” recommendation. It’s frustrating for both you and your patient. You don’t have to wait until the last minute to identify potential medical clearance problems.

MOON Group: 4,400 ACL Reconstructions and Counting

Terry Stanton

Since 2002, the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) has enrolled and followed a population cohort of patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery. Its objective is to establish patient-specific predictive models of clinically important outcomes. The prospective multicenter cohort study aims to identify short- and long-term prognosis and predictors of sports function, activity level, and general health through validated patient-reported outcomes.