Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Orthopedics for January 2011. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Further Surgery for Adjacent Segment Disease Varies
MONDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- The annual incidence and predicted 10-year prevalence of further surgery for adjacent segment disease (ASD) after lumbar arthrodesis are 2.5 and 22.2 percent, respectively, though rates vary substantially based on identified risk factors, according to a study published in the January issue of The Spine Journal.
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Treatments for Spine Infection After Surgery Assessed
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Anterior spine infection may occur following posterior pedicle screw instrumentation but can be successfully treated with combined posterior surgery and anterior debridement with fusion, according to a study published in the January issue of The Spine Journal.
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Electronic Health Records May Not Improve Care Quality
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Electronic health records (EHRs) and clinical decision support (CDS) do not appear to improve the quality of clinical care, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Degenerative Disc Affects Biomechanics of Low Back
TUESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with L4-S1 discogenic back pain may have hypermobile segments above the level of disc degeneration and hypomobility at L5-S1, according to a study published in the Jan. 5 issue of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
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Minimally Invasive Lateral Fusion Reduces Complications
MONDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The minimally invasive surgical (MIS) lateral approach to fusion using the extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) technique results in low incidences of infection, injury, and transfusion, and shortens hospital stays, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of Spine.
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Similar Results Obtained in Two Hemivertebrectomy Approaches
MONDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Posterolateral (PL) hemivertebra excision for congenital scoliosis is comparable to the more predominant anteroposterior (AP) approach in terms of clinical, radiographic, and quality of life outcomes, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of Spine.
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Amputation Level Affects Energy Expenditure in Children
FRIDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Children with a below-knee amputation are able to maintain normal walking speed without significantly increasing their energy cost, whereas those with above-knee amputations walk slower and expend more energy, according to a study published in the Jan. 5 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Physical Exam Helps Diagnose Source of Lumbar Pain
FRIDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) Physical examination tests can help diagnose the presence of nerve root impingement in the low lumbar and midlumbar regions as well as pinpoint level specific impingement in the low lumbar region, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of Spine.
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Motivation Affects Return to Work After Knee Replacement
FRIDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty are likely to return to work faster if they are highly motivated, regardless of the physical demands of their job, according to a study published in the Jan. 5 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Updated Osteoporosis Screening Recommendations Issued
TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued an updated statement recommending that women aged 65 years or older, and younger women with an increased risk of fractures, should be screened for osteoporosis; the statement has been published online Jan. 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Partial, Total Knee Arthroplasty Offer Similar Results
MONDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has similar results in terms of pain and function compared with total knee arthroplasty (TKA), with fewer problems with activities involving bending the knee, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Potentially Cost-Effective
MONDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgery has the potential to be a cost-effective intervention, according to research published in the Dec. 15 issue of Spine.
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Multimodal Analgesia Important in Spine Surgery
FRIDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A multimodal analgesic therapy is important during preoperative visits of minimally invasive spine surgery patients, according to a review of methods published in the Dec. 15 issue of Spine.
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After Shoulder Dislocation, One-Week Immobilization Sufficient
FRIDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Immobilization of the shoulder for longer than one week following dislocation does not appear to be beneficial, and age under 30 years is predictive of recurrence, according to research published in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Effective in Elderly
FRIDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Surgical treatment does not need to be withheld on the basis of age because elderly patients can be treated successfully with minimally invasive surgical techniques, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of Spine.
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CDC Report Highlights Important Health Disparities
THURSDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Among Americans, disparities in income, race and ethnicity, gender, and other social attributes have an impact on whether an individual is healthy or ill or will die prematurely, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released as a supplement to the Jan. 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Spine Specialists May Not Recognize Patients' Distress
THURSDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Spinal surgeons relying on their clinical impression often do not accurately identify patients in psychological distress, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Anti-Epileptic Drugs Increase Risk of Fractures
THURSDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) may increase the risk of nontraumatic fractures in patients aged 50 and older, according to a study published in the January issue of the Archives of Neurology.
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Burnout Levels Particularly High in Residents
MONDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of burnout and risk for burnout are high in physicians, particularly residents, and more than a quarter of anesthesiology chairs meet criteria for high burnout, according to two articles published in the January issue of Anesthesiology.
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Surgery Effective for Calcaneal Fractures in Older Patients
MONDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Outcomes for older patients after internal fixation for intra-articular calcaneal fractures are at least equivalent to those of younger patients, despite the fact that operative intervention in older patients has traditionally been discouraged, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
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Clinicians Not Adhering to Arthritis Guidelines
MONDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Clinicians are not following evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), despite the consistency among the numerous guidelines available, according to a review published in the January issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Scoliosis Screening Costs in Hong Kong, Rochester Similar
FRIDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The costs of an adolescent idiopathic scoliosis school screening program in Hong Kong are comparable with the costs of student screening in Rochester, Minn., the only other location that has undergone a comparable screening program evaluation, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of Spine.
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Bone Disease Common in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
FRIDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Osteoporosis appears to be common among patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), with older age, low body mass index (BMI), and long duration of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) potential predictors of bone disease, according to a study published in the January issue of Gastroenterology.
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Lumbar Support Cost-Effective for LBP in Home Care Workers
FRIDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Lumbar support may provide a cost-effective addition to the usual care offered to home care workers who have recurrent low back pain (LBP), according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of Spine.
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Back Pain Tied to Psychological Well-Being in Teens
THURSDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Systematic physical activity and control of psychological profile should decrease low back pain (LBP) frequency and intensity in adolescents, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
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Two Surgeries Have Similar Fusion, Complication Rates
THURSDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The open and minimally-invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (open TLIF and mTLIF) procedures have similar and relatively high fusion rates, and their complication rates are similar as well, according to a meta-analysis published in the Dec. 15 issue of Spine.
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Researchers Define Spine Surgery Complications
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have developed a practical definition of complications in spine surgery but have determined that further work in assessing complications is necessary; their research has been published in the December issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
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Type II Odontoid Fractures on the Rise
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The number and frequency of type II odontoid fractures has been increasing over the last two decades, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
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Few Performance Tests Measure Low Back Pain Change
MONDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Sit-to-stand and stair-climbing performance tests used to gauge effectiveness of treatment for low back pain are good instruments to use to measure changes over time and to determine the percentage of minimal clinically important change (MCIC), but several other performance tests are not responsive, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of Spine.
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