Background
The diagnosis of a painful partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in overhead-throwing athletes is challenging, even for experienced elbow surgeons and despite the use of ...sophisticated imaging techniques.
Hypothesis
The “moving valgus stress test” is an accurate physical examination technique for diagnosis of medial collateral ligament attenuation in the elbow.
Study Design
Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.
Methods
Twenty-one patients underwent surgical intervention for medial elbow pain due to medial collateral ligament insufficiency or other abnormality of chronic valgus overload, and they were assessed preoperatively with an examination called the moving valgus stress test. To perform the moving valgus stress test, the examiner applies and maintains a constant moderate valgus torque to the fully flexed elbow and then quickly extends the elbow. The test is positive if the medial elbow pain is reproduced at the medial collateral ligament and is at maximum between 120 ° and 70 °.
Results
The moving valgus stress test was highly sensitive (100%, 17 of 17 patients) and specific (75%, 3 of 4 patients) when compared to assessment of the medial collateral ligament by surgical exploration or arthroscopic valgus stress testing. The mean shear range (ie, the arc within which pain was produced with the moving valgus stress test) was 120 ° to 70 °. The mean angle at which pain was at a maximum was 90 ° of elbow flexion.
Conclusions
The moving valgus stress test is an accurate physical examination technique that, when performed and interpreted correctly, is highly sensitive for medial elbow pain arising from the medial collateral ligament.
The Hook Test for Distal Biceps Tendon Avulsion O'DRISCOLL, Shawn W; GONCALVES, Lucas B. J; DIETZ, Patricio
The American journal of sports medicine,
11/2007, Letnik:
35, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Background: Complete biceps tendon avulsions are frequently missed on clinical examination, suggesting the need for a reliable diagnostic
test.
Hypothesis: Complete distal biceps avulsions can be ...reliably detected with the Hook test.
Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.
Methods: The hook test was performed by a single surgeon in a cohort of 45 patients undergoing surgical exploration of the distal
biceps tendon. While the patient actively supinates with the elbow flexed 90°, an intact hook test permits the examiner to
hook his or her index finger under the intact biceps tendon from the lateral side. With an abnormal hook test, indicating
distal avulsion, there is no cord-like structure under which the examiner may hook a finger.
Results: Thirty-three patients had an avulsion and 12 had a partial tear. The hook test was abnormal in 33 of 33 (100%) patients with
complete biceps avulsions, and intact in 12 of 12 with partial detachments. However, it was painful in 9 of those 12. In the
noninjured contralateral arms, which served as the normal control group, 45 of 45 (100%) had a normal hook test. Magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) diagnosed a complete tear in 11 of 12 patients with partial tears and in 11 of 13 with complete lesions.
The sensitivity and specificity were both higher with the hook test (both 100%) than with MRI (92% and 85%, respectively).
Conclusions: The hook test is a highly sensitive and specific test for assessment of distal biceps tendon avulsions.
Keywords:
biceps
tendon
avulsion
rupture
elbow
Posttraumatic coronoid deficiency is one of the most challenging scenarios even for the most experienced elbow surgeon. Surgical options can be grouped into soft tissue reconstructions, autogenous ...corticocancellous bone graft reconstructions, osteochondral reconstructions, and prosthetic replacement. However, the literature is inconclusive with limited cases, short follow-up, and no conclusive clinical comparative studies of these techniques. This article provides a review of the current surgical options, and we offer the senior author’s (S.W.O.) perspective after years of experience with many of these techniques.
Joint incongruity in posteromedial rotatory instability (PMRI) has been theorized to determine early articular degenerative changes. Our hypothesis was that the articular contact area and contact ...pressure differ significantly between an intact elbow and an elbow affected by PMRI.
Seven cadaveric elbows were tested under gravity varus stress using a custom-made machine designed to simulate muscle loads and allow passive elbow flexion (0° to 90°). The mean contact area and contact pressure data were collected and processed using the Tekscan sensor and software. After testing the intact specimen (intact elbow), a PMRI injury was simulated (PMRI elbow) and the specimen was tested again.
The PMRI elbows were characterized by initial joint subluxation and significantly elevated articular contact pressure. Both worsened, corresponding with a reduction in contact area, as the elbow was flexed from 0° until the joint subluxation and incongruity spontaneously reduced (at a mean and standard error of 60° ± 5° of flexion), at which point the mean contact pressure decreased from 870 ± 50 kPa (pre-reduction) to 440 ± 40 kPa (post-reduction) (p < 0.001) and the mean contact area increased from 80 ± 8 mm to 150 ± 58 mm (p < 0.001). This reduction of the subluxation was also followed by a shift of the contact area from the coronoid fracture edge toward the lower portion of the coronoid. At the flexion angle at which the PMRI elbows reduced, both the contact area and the contact pressure of the intact elbows differed significantly from those of the PMRI elbows, both before and after the elbow reduction (p < 0.001).
The reduction in contact area and increased contact pressures due to joint subluxation and incongruity could explain the progressive arthritis seen in some elbows affected by PMRI.
This biomechanical study suggests that the early degenerative changes associated with PMRI reported in the literature could be subsequent to joint incongruity and an increase in contact pressure between the coronoid fracture surface and the trochlea.
Posterior impingement pain in baseball players is typically due to a fractured olecranon osteophyte. Computed tomographic (CT) scanning is the imaging of choice when evaluating posterior or ...posteromedial elbow pain in athletes who have subjected the elbow to excessive stresses such as occur in overhead throwing and weightlifting. Sometimes the fracture fragment can be so small that it might not be detected on plain radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging, or even at the time of arthroscopy. Symptomatic fractured olecranon osteophytes can be diagnosed clinically with the extension impingement test or arm bar test. Posteromedial osteophytes are often part of a generalized hypertrophic osteoarthritic response to overload and/or wear in the joint, which are best seen on CT scans.
Purpose The purposes of this study were to determine whether delayed-onset ulnar neuritis (DOUN) after elbow contracture release can be prevented and to compare the efficacy of ulnar nerve ...decompression versus subcutaneous transposition. Methods A retrospective study of 563 consecutive arthroscopic elbow contracture releases was conducted. The prophylactic efficacy of (1) subcutaneous transposition, (2) ulnar nerve decompression, (3) limited ulnar nerve decompression (7 to 8 cm), and (4) mini-decompression (4 to 6 cm) was assessed prospectively. The efficacy of prophylactic strategies (transposition, decompression, limited decompression, or mini-decompression) in preventing DOUN was compared by univariate survival analysis. Patients who underwent a subcutaneous transposition were matched with patients who underwent a standard open decompression or a limited decompression, according to gender, age (±10 years), diagnosis, and preoperative motion. This analysis was repeated after we excluded the patients who underwent associated open procedures (e.g., hardware removal). Results DOUN occurred in 26 of 235 patients (11%) who did not undergo any prophylactic procedure versus 8 of 295 patients (3%) who underwent a prophylactic ulnar nerve decompression or transposition at the time of contracture release ( P < .001). The neurologic impairment was significantly less severe after prophylactic decompression compared with patients without any prophylactic intervention (grade on Neuropathy Grading Scale, 2 v 4; P = .03). Ulnar nerve transposition and decompression were equally protective. The decompression length was the only factor significantly related to the failure of the prophylactic intervention (odds ratio, 0.19; P = .02). A mini-decompression was not as effective as a prophylactic procedure, whereas a limited decompression was equal to a standard decompression. The case-control analysis showed that the decompression and transposition had equal preventive effects but the transposition was associated with a higher rate of wound complications (19% v 4%, P = .03). Conclusions DOUN is a complication of arthroscopic elbow contracture release. Its incidence and severity can be reduced by limited open ulnar nerve decompression or transposition. Level of Evidence Level II, prospective comparative study with retrospective analysis.
Background:
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered to be the gold standard for imaging of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD).
Purpose/Hypothesis:
The purpose was to determine the additional ...value of a preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan in adolescent patients with capitellar OCD of the elbow. Consistent with the fact that OCD is a lesion involving the subchondral bone, the hypothesis was that CT would be superior to MRI for imaging OCD of the capitellum.
Study Design:
Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3.
Methods:
All patients being treated surgically for an OCD of the capitellum between 2006 and 2016 at one institution were reviewed for preoperative imaging. A total of 28 patients met the inclusion criteria. Corresponding MRI and CT scans were compared retrospectively. Multiple parameters were recorded, with special emphasis on OCD lesion size, fragmentation, and tilt as well as joint surface integrity, loose bodies, and osteophytes.
Results:
The OCD lesions were best seen on CT scans, whereas MRI T1-weighted images overestimated and T2-weighted images underestimated the size of defects. A subchondral fracture nonunion was found on CT scans in 18 patients, whereas this was seen on MRI T1-weighted images in only 2 patients (P < .001) and MRI T2-weighted images in 4 patients (P < .001). Fragmentation of the OCD fragment was found on CT scans in 17 patients but on MRI scans in only 9 patients (P = .05). Osteophytes as a sign of secondary degenerative changes were seen on CT scans in 24 patients and were seen on MRI scans in 15 patients (P = .02). Altogether, only 51 of 89 secondary changes including loose bodies, effects on the radial head and ulnohumeral joint, and osteophytes that were seen on CT scans were also seen on MRI scans (P = .002).
Conclusion:
OCD fragmentation and secondary changes were more often diagnosed on CT. These factors indicate OCD instability or advanced OCD stages, which are indications for surgery. In an adolescent who is considered at risk for OCD (baseball, gymnastics, weightlifting, tennis) and who has lateral elbow joint pain with axial or valgus load bearing, CT is our imaging modality of choice for diagnosing and staging OCD of the capitellum.
When revision elbow arthroplasty is required in the presence of structural proximal ulnar bone loss and triceps insufficiency, structural ulnar bone-grafting and triceps reconstruction are both ...required to reconstruct the skeleton and to restore active extension. We have developed a technique utilizing a structural proximal ulnar allograft with its attached triceps as an allograft-prosthetic composite (APC) to provide reconstruction of the proximal ulnar bone and deficient extensor mechanism with the same allograft.
Between 2010 and 2017, the senior author performed 10 revision elbow arthroplasties using a proximal ulnar allograft with its intact triceps tendon allograft. The allograft ulna was combined with an ulnar component in an APC fashion, whereas the remaining triceps was repaired to the triceps allograft. Indications for a revision surgical procedure included aseptic loosening in 4 elbows, periprosthetic ulnar fracture with component loosening in 2 elbows, and the second stage of a 2-stage reimplantation in 4 elbows. Two elbows also required humeral APCs due to associated structural humeral bone loss. Postoperatively, all elbows were immobilized in extension for 6 weeks. The mean follow-up time was 45 months (range, 24 to 76 months).
Revision elbow arthroplasty resulted in pain improvement in all elbows in a 10-point visual analog scale. The mean flexion-extension arc was 95°, the mean Mayo Elbow Performance Score was 76 points (range, 45 to 95 points), and the mean triceps strength score was 4. There were 6 reoperations: 3 for humeral loosening, 1 for deep infection, 1 for fracture of the ulnar allograft, and 1 for wound debridement and closure. For the 8 elbows with an intact ulnar reconstruction, no ulnar components were radiographically loose, and the ulnar graft was considered radiographically intact and healed in 8 elbows.
Reconstruction of the proximal part of the ulna and triceps in failed elbow arthroplasties with structural ulnar bone loss can be effectively accomplished using a structural proximal ulnar allograft as an APC with the preserved triceps tendon for the extensor mechanism reconstruction, but the procedure is associated with an expected high reoperation rate, as is the case in complex revision elbow arthroplasty.
Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Modification of total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) implants may be necessary in selected patients with substantial anatomic bone deformity or those undergoing revision surgery. The purpose of this study ...was to investigate the prevalence and consequences of implant modifications during TEA at our institution. We hypothesized that TEA implant modification would be more common in revisions than in primary replacements, and that it would not be associated with worse clinical outcomes or increased rates of radiographic or surgical complications directly related to the implant modification.
Elbows that had undergone TEA by any of 3 surgeons at our institution with use of intraoperative implant modification between January 1992 and October 2019 were retrospectively reviewed for the type of modification and complications. Complications were classified as definitely related, probably related, possibly related, or nonrelated to the implant’s modification according to the consensus review by the 3 senior surgeons. A survey was sent out to surgeons outside of our institution to investigate whether intraoperative modification to TEA implants is a common clinical practice.
A total of 106 implant components were modified during 94 of 731 TEA procedures (13%) in 84 of 560 patients. Implant modifications were performed in 60 of 285 revision cases (21%) compared with 34 of 446 (8%) primary cases (P < .0001). These included shortening the stem in 40 (44%), bending the stem in 16 (15%), notching the stem in 16 (15%), tapering the stem in 9 (9%), and a combination of 2 or more of these modifications in 19 implants (17%). Among the 55 index surgeries available for complication analysis, 40 complications occurred in 28 index surgeries (11 primary and 17 revisions; 25 patients), making the overall complication rate 51%. Of these 40 complications, 23 were considered independent of any implant modification. Of the remaining 17 complications, 9 were considered nonrelated to the implant modification, 6 were possibly related, and 2 were probably related to the implant modification. Therefore, the complication rate possibly related or probably related to implant modification was 15% (8 of 55). No complication was classified as definitely related to the implant modification. No implant breakage or malfunction occurred after any modification. A total of 442 survey responses were received representing 29 countries, of which 144 surgeons (39%) performed modification to implants during TEA procedures.
This study confirmed our hypothesis that modification of TEA implants is not uncommon at our institution, particularly in revision arthroplasty. Surgeons should keep in mind that complications possibly related or probably related to implant modification were at minimum 15% and could have been as high as 30% if the patients lost to follow-up had all had complications. Implant modification may be necessary in some cases but should be exercised with thoughtful consideration and caution.
The lateral collateral ligament complex along with the capsule is likely to be at risk during arthroscopic extensor carpi radialis brevis release for lateral epicondylitis. We hypothesized that ...disruption of the lateral collateral ligament-capsule complex (LCL-cc) would increase the mean contact pressure on the coronoid under gravity varus.
Eight cadaveric elbows were tested via gravity varus and weighted varus (2 Nm) stress tests using a custom-made machine designed to simulate muscle loads while allowing passive flexion of the elbow. Mean articular surface contact pressure data were collected and processed using intra-articular thin-film sensors and software. Sequential testing was performed on each specimen from stage 0 to stage 3 (stage 0, intact; stage 1, release of anterior one-third of LCL-cc; stage 2; release of anterior two-thirds of LCL-cc; and stage 3, release of entire LCL-cc). The mean contact pressure on the coronoid and the mean ratio of contact pressure on the medial coronoid to that on the lateral coronoid (M/L ratio) were used for comparisons among the stages and the intact elbow.
The overall mean contact pressure significantly increased in stage 2 (P = .0004 in gravity varus and P = .0001 in weighted varus) and stage 3 (P < .0001 in gravity varus and P < .0001 in weighted varus) compared with that in stage 0. In contrast, release of the anterior one-third of the LCL-cc (stage 1) did not significantly increase the mean contact pressure on the coronoid in any degree of flexion under gravity varus (P = .09) or weighted varus loading (P = .6). The M/L ratio difference between stage 0 and stage 1 was 1.1 ± 1.1 under gravity varus (P = .8) and 2.1 ± 1.0 under weighted varus (P = .2). The overall M/L ratios in stage 2 and stage 3 were significantly higher than those seen in stage 0 under gravity varus (P = .04 in stage 2 and P = .02 in stage 3) and weighted varus (P = .006 in stage 2 and P < .0001 in stage 3).
Loss of the anterior two-thirds or more of the LCL-cc significantly increases the overall mean contact pressure on the coronoid, especially the medial coronoid, under both gravity varus and weighted varus. The LCL-cc also plays a role in the distribution of coronoid contact pressure against gravity varus loads.
