Reverse vs. hemi for 4-part humeral fractures

Maureen Leahy

Hemiarthroplasty (HA) has traditionally been the treatment of choice for elderly patients with four-part proximal humeral fractures. In recent years, however, reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) has been explored as an alternative to HA in these instances.

TO covers synthetic bone void fillers

John S. Kirkpatrick, MD

During its March 2010 meeting, the AAOS Board of Directors approved a new technology overview (TO) on synthetic bone void fillers. Kristy L. Weber, MD, chair of the Council on Research, Quality Assessment, and Technology, presented the document, which was developed by a physician workgroup under the direction of the Guidelines & Technology Oversight Committee.

Rethinking approaches to posttraumatic osteoarthritis

Terry Stanton

Research finds promise in cellular-level treatments after joint fractures Osteoarthritis (OA) resulting from traumatic joint injury is a serious complication that can leave injured persons—often younger individuals involved in car crashes or sports accidents—with lifetime pain and disability. Yet current treatment options are limited, focus mainly on restoring normal anatomy, and often fail to address articular tissue degeneration.

Engineering tissue for spinal fusion

Jay D. Lenn

Spinal fusions are common orthopaedic procedures, with about 450,000 fusion surgeries performed annually in the United States. Although grafts from a patient’s ilium are considered the gold standard for spinal fusion, autologous bone grafts still present significant risks. Failure to fuse occurs in as many as 40 percent of cases, and chronic hip pain and other morbidities are common. Francis H. Shen, MD Dr.