Correction of coronal plane deformities around the knee using a tension band plate in children younger than 10 years

Background:

Guided growth through temporary hemiepiphysiodesis has gained acceptance as the preferred primary treatment in treating pediatric lower limb deformities as it is minimally invasive with a lesser morbidity than the traditional osteotomy. The tension band plate is the most recent development in implants used for temporary hemiepiphysiodesis. Our aim was to determine its safety and efficacy in correcting coronal plane deformities around the knee in children younger than 10 years.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 24 children under the age of 10 were operated for coronal plane deformities around the knee with a single extra periosteal tension band plate and two nonlocking screws. All the children had a pathological deformity for which a detailed preoperative work-up was carried out to ascertain the cause of the deformity and rule out physiological ones. The average age at hemiepiphysiodesis was 5 years 3 months (range: 2 years to 9 years 1 month).

Results:

The plates were inserted for an average of 15.625 months (range: 7 months to 29 months). All the patients showed improvement in the mechanical axis. Two patients showed partial correction. Two cases of screw loosening were observed. In the genu valgum group, the tibiofemoral angle improved from a preoperative mean of 19.89° valgus (range: 10° valgus to 40° valgus) to 5.72° valgus (range: 2° varus to 10° valgus). In patients with genu varum the tibiofemoral angle improved from a mean of 28.27° varus (range: 13° varus to 41° varus) to 1.59° valgus (range: 0-8° valgus).

Conclusion:

Temporary hemiepiphysiodesis through the application of the tension band plate is an effective method to correct coronal plane deformities around the knee with minimal complications. Its ease and accuracy of insertion has extended the indication of temporary hemiepiphysiodesis to patients younger than 10 years and across a wide variety of diagnosis including pathological physis, which were traditionally out of the purview of guided growth.     

Long-term effects of shoe mileage on knee and ankle joints muscle co-contraction during walking in females with genu varus

BackgroundShoe mileage may influence the risk of sustaining injuries during walking.Research questionWhat are the effects of shoe mileage on knee and ankle muscle co-contraction during walking in females with genu varus?MethodsFifteen healthy and 15 women diagnosed with genu varus received a new pair of running shoes. They were asked to wear these shoes over 6 months. Pre and post intervention, muscle activities of the dominant limb were recorded during a walking test at preferred gait speed. Two dependent variables were assessed to examine muscle co-contraction: (1) directed co-contraction ratios of agonists and antagonists, and (2) general joint muscle co-contraction.FindingsResults demonstrated significant main effects of the “shoe” factor for general ankle co-contraction during the push-off phase (p = 0.013, d = 1.503). Irrespective of experimental group, paired comparisons revealed significantly lower general ankle co-contraction during the push-off phase after the intervention. A significant main effects of “shoe” for general knee co-contraction during loading phase (p = 0.025, d = 0.895) was also observed. In both groups, paired comparison revealed significantly lower general knee co-contraction during the push-off phase in the post condition. We did not find any significant main effect of group nor group-by-shoe interaction for general ankle co-contraction during the stance phase. Likewise, we did not observe any significant main effect of “shoe”, “group” and “group-by-shoe” interaction for mediolateral directed knee co-contraction during stance phase of walking (p > 0.05).SignificanceOur findings showed that the shoe mileage but not the genu varus condition affects the general and directed co-contraction of the muscles stabilizing the knee and ankle joints. Together with the observed findings on ankle and knee muscle co-contraction, it is essential to change running shoes after a long wearing time in both healthy and genu varus females.     

多针穿刺松解内侧副韧带在中度膝内翻畸形全膝关节置换术中的应用

目的 分析多针穿刺延长法松解内侧副韧带（MCL）对中度膝关节内翻畸形全膝关节置换术（TKA）中软组织平衡的有效性和安全性。方法 回顾性分析2013年1—6月上海交通大学附属第六医院骨科,TKA术中采用多针穿刺技术松解MCL以获得软组织平衡的中度内翻型膝关节骨性关节炎55例患者资料,其中男19例、女36例,年龄57～79岁。术后康复按照我科标准膝关节康复计划进行。术后3周复查拍摄下肢站立位全长片,术后3个月、6个月、1年拍摄患膝关节站立位正侧位片,并检查膝关节活动度,进行美国膝关节协会评分（KSS）临床评分和功能评分,做内外翻应力测试检查膝关节稳定性。平均随访时间14个月,采用配对t检验分析术前及术后膝关节力线、膝关节屈曲活动度、KSS临床评分及功能评分的差异。结果 根据术中松弛度测量标准,55例病例术中均获得了满意的内外侧软组织平衡,未出现内侧过度松弛的情况。术后利用膝关节站立位全长片测量膝关节力线显示,由术前的内翻13．5°±3．36°（9°-25°）纠正至术后的内翻0．8°±1．07°（内翻3．5°-外翻2．0°）;KSS临床评分从术前（39．9±7．84）分（20—65分）改善至末次随访的（94．0±7．27）分（65～100分）,KSS功能评分从术前（35．2±10．51）分（20～80分）改善至末次随访的（85．0±10．84）分（50～100分）;膝关节屈曲活动度从术前90．0°±9．87°（65°～110°）改善至末次随访的115．0°±10．08°（95°-135°）,差异均有统计学意义（P值均〈0．01）。随访中,除了2例仍存在5°屈曲挛缩外,其余53例膝关节均能完全伸直,未发现膝关节失稳病例,未发现感染、下肢深静脉血栓及其他并发症。结论 TKA术中采用多针穿刺松解技术,可以通过增加穿刺次数逐渐延长MCL,增加内侧间隙,从而获得满意的软组织平衡,     

8字钢板法治疗儿童下肢成角畸形

[目的]下肢膝内外翻是儿童常见的疾病，临床上可引起膝痛、髌骨与股骨不稳定、步态异常和奔跑困难，这篇文章目的是探讨8字钢板法治疗儿童膝内外翻的临床效果。[方法]34例病人用8字钢板骨骺生长控制法治疗儿童下肢成角畸形。[结果]总结34例病人65膝，其中男16例，女18例；年龄18个月～17岁。通过比较得知股骨胫骨角（femoral tibial angle，FTA）及力线轴与膝关节中心线距离均得到改善，术后随访6～18个月无骨骺损伤。[结论]总结认为膝关节畸形可引起膝前痛及步态问题，8字钢板法安全、有效，操作简单，比截骨矫治风险低、病人痛苦小。     

Acute correction of proximal tibial coronal plane deformity in small children using a small monolateral external fixator with or without cross-pinning

PurposeSurgical correction of proximal tibia deformity in small children can be challenging. We present the surgical technique and outcome of proximal tibia osteotomy fixed with small monolateral external fixator in this patient group.MethodsA total of 17 cases in eight patients younger than nine years of age were study subjects. A proximal tibia osteotomy was fixed with a small monolateral external fixator with or without cross-pinning. Outcome was evaluated by changes of radiographic parameters such as medial proximal tibia angle (MPTA), metaphyseal diaphyseal angle (MDA) and clinical findings of complications, time interval until weight bearing and fixator removal time.ResultsMPTA improved from a preoperative mean of 73° (sd 4°; 66° to 78°) to an immediate postoperative mean of 90° (sd 3°; 85° to 96°) in varus tibiae, and from 104° (sd 1°; 103° to 105°) to 89° (sd 1°; 88° to 89°) in valgus tibiae. In all, 15 of the 17 cases (88.3 %) achieved postoperative MPTA within the normal range (85° to 90°). MDA improved from a preoperative mean of 19° (sd 5°; 11° to 24°) to an immediate postoperative mean of 0° (sd 4°; -6° to 7°) in varus tibiae, and from -25° (sd 2°; -22° to -24°) to 2° (SD 1°; 1° to 3°) in valgus tibiae. Full weight bearing was possible at mean 1.7 months (0.5 to 3.0). Mean follow-up period was 6.5 years (sd 5.4; 1.0 to 16.0). No complications developed during the follow-up.ConclusionProximal tibia osteotomy fixed with small monolateral external fixator provides accurate, safe and efficient correction in the management of coronal plane angular deformity in small children.Level of EvidenceLevel IV     

“8”字钢板半骺板阻滞术治疗儿童膝内、外翻

目的：评价＂8＂字钢板半骺板阻滞术治疗儿童膝内、外翻畸形的矫形疗效。方法：采用＂8＂字钢板半骺板阻滞术治疗儿童膝内、外翻畸形17例,其中,膝外翻12例,膝内翻5例。结果：本组17例患儿,除1例外所有患儿畸形均获得满意矫形。邻近关节活动和患肢功能完全正常。术后随访12～24个月无骨骺损伤。通过比较股骨胫骨角及力线轴与膝关节中心线距离均得到改善。结论：＂8＂字钢板半骺板阻滞术治疗儿童膝内外翻畸形有效,适用于年龄≥18月龄和12个月以上剩余生长潜力的儿童的膝内、外翻畸形,具有手术切口小,软组织损伤小,手术时间短,安全经济,并发症少等特点。     

Anterior genu corpus callosum and impulsivity in suicidal patients with bipolar disorder

Suicidality is a life-threatening symptom in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Impulsivity and mood instability are associated with suicidality in mood disorders. Evidence suggests that gray and white matter abnormalities are linked with impulsivity in mood disorders, but little is known about the association between corpus callosum (CC) and impulsivity in BD. We examined the relationship between CC areas, impulsivity and suicidality in BD patients. We studied 10 female BD patients with a history of suicide attempt (mean ± SD age 36.2 ± 10.1 years), 10 female BD patients without suicide attempt history (44.2 ± 12.5 years) and 27 female healthy subjects (36.9 ± 13.8 years). Impulsivity was evaluated by the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). We traced MR images to measure the areas of the CC genu, anterior body, posterior body, isthmus and splenium. The genu was divided into anterior, middle and posterior regions. The suicidal and non-suicidal BD patients had significantly higher BIS total, attention and non-planning scores than the healthy subjects (ps < 0.01), and the suicidal BD patients had significantly higher BIS motor scores than the non-suicidal BD and healthy subjects (ps < 0.01). There were no significant differences among the three groups on any regional CC areas, although the suicidal BD patients had the smallest areas. The suicidal BD patients showed a significant inverse correlation between anterior genu area and the BIS total (r = −0.75, p = 0.04), motor (r = −0.79, p = 0.02) and non-planning scores (r = −0.79, p = 0.02). These correlations were not found in the non-suicidal BD patients or healthy subjects. The results suggest that the anterior medial frontal region may be involved in the pathophysiology of impulsive and suicidal behaviors in BD.     

Proximal tibial osteotomy for genu varum: Radiological evaluation of deformity correction with a plate vs external fixator

BACKGROUND High tibial osteotomy(HTO) is a well-known procedure for the correction of knee varus. The purpose of this study was to compare the radiological results and accuracy of deformity correction performed using two different techniques: acute opening wedge correction using a plate and gradual correction with a monolateral external fixator.AIM To compare of the radiological results of two different techniques: acute opening wedge correction(a plate and screw) and gradual correction(external fixator).METHODS A total of 43 patients with plates and 36 patients with external fixators were included. All patients had moderate uniplanar varus deformities. We measured radiographic parameters, including the mechanical axis deviation(MAD), medial proximal tibial angle(MPTA), Caton-Deschamps Index(CDI), posterior proximal tibial angle, and joint line obliquity angle(JLOA). The accuracy of MAD correction was calculated based on a correction goal of neutral or overcorrection for medial compartment arthritis.RESULTS Demographics including age, body mass index, sex, and preoperative deformities were similar between the groups. The MAD significantly improved from 23.6 mm medial to the midline(SD = 8.2 mm) to 6.9 mm lateral to the midline(SD = 5.4 mm)(P 0.001). The accuracy of MAD correction did not differ between the groups and was 96.1%(SD = 8.1%) in the plate group and 98.2%(SD = 5.2%) in the external fixator group(P = 0.18). The MPTA significantly improved from 83.9°(SD = 2.9°) to 90.9°(SD = 3.3°)(P 0.001), and the change was similar between the groups. Differences were noted in patella height, with a CDI change of-19.2%(SD = 13.7%) and 3.1%(SD = 8.0%) for the plate and external fixator groups, respectively(P 0.001). The change in JLOA was 1.6 degrees(SD = 1.1 degrees) and 0.9 degrees(SD = 0.9 degrees) for the plate and external fixator groups, respectively(P = 0.04).CONCLUSION Reliable correction of moderate varus alignment was achieved with both the acute opening wedge technique with a plate and the gradual monolateral external fixator technique. The patellar height decreased with the open wedge plate technique. Joint line obliquity decreased to a greater degree with the open wedge plate technique, perhaps as a result of medial collateral ligament release. The appropriate technique should be selected based on surgeon and patient preferences; however, external fixation may be a better choice when the preservation of patellar height is deemed important.