Today’s Top Story

Study Compares Limb Length Discrepancy After Unilateral Versus Bilateral TKA

A study published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma found that limb length discrepancy (LLD) may be more common after unilateral compared to bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Patients were stratified into unilateral (group A, n = 28) and bilateral (group B, n = 30) TKA groups. Group A had a mean limb length difference of 1.11 cm. Among the 22 patients (78 percent) with LLD, seven of them perceived it. Group B had a mean limb length difference of 1.03 cm; 14 patients (47 percent) had LLD, but none perceived it. Radiological LLD was observed in 25 patients in group A and 22 patients in group B.

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In Other News

Study Gleans Resident, Fellow, and Attending Views on e-learning During COVID-19

A study published in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of the AAOS ® assessed resident, fellow, and attending surgeon viewpoints of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey sent to all U.S. orthopaedic residency program directors yielded responses from 100 attendings and 168 trainees. More trainees favored e-learning over in-person learning compared to attendings (51.4 percent versus 32.2 percent), but both groups believed they were more likely to pay attention with in-person learning. Attendings and trainees agreed that e-learning deserves a supplemental role in standard residency/fellowship education (86.6 percent and 84.0 percent, respectively).

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Study: Is Total Ankle Arthroplasty Safe in Octogenarians?

A retrospective study published online in Foot & Ankle Specialist compared total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) in octogenarians versus a younger cohort. Patients were stratified by age: younger than 80 years (n = 1,059) and older than 80 years (n = 54). Hospital length of stay was longer in the octogenarian group than the younger group (2.5 days versus 1.9 days), but the octogenarian group did not have a higher risk for developing any complication or an increased number of complications. Octogenarians were much more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation institution or skilled nursing facility versus home.

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Study Assesses Content of Online Discussion Boards Regarding Congenital Upper-extremity Differences

A study published online in The Journal of Hand Surgery analyzed content posted commonly by family members and patients to online discussion boards about congenital upper-extremity differences. Google and Yahoo were searched for relevant posts from Jan. 1, 2009, through Jan. 1, 2019. A total of 420 posts from 152 threads were analyzed; 163 users contributed to the posts. About two-thirds of users (65 percent) were parents of a child with a congenital upper-extremity difference. The five selective codes identified from nonadministrator posts were: (1) connecting with others, (2) emotional aspects, (3) treatment, (4) diagnosis, and (5) function.

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Study: Do Parental Mental Factors Affect Opioid Use After Adolescent Spinal Fusion?

According to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, high levels of parental anxiety increased narcotic use in adolescents who underwent spinal fusion. Parental anxiety was measured using the State-trait Anxiety Inventory. Fifty-eight spinal fusion patients aged 11 to 20 years were assessed. Just under a third of parents (29 percent) had a high general anxiety trait. Patients with a high general anxiety parent were more likely than those with a normal general anxiety parent to still be taking narcotics at the first postoperative visit (47 percent versus 20 percent).

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AAOS Now

First Female System Chair at Mount Sinai Excels by Focusing on Being ‘the Best You Can Possibly Be’

Leesa Galatz, MD, FAAOS, has served as Mount Sinai Professor and System Chair of the Leni and Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Icahn School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York since 2015. In an interview with Betsy Nolan, MD, FAAOS, Dr. Galatz shed some light on what it takes to achieve this prestigious and unprecedented level of career success and provided advice for young orthopaedic surgeons.

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Your AAOS

AAOS Approves Endorsement of the MSTS/ASTRO/ASCO CPG for the Treatment of Metastatic Carcinoma and Myeloma of the Femur

The AAOS Board of Directors has approved the endorsement of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the Treatment of Metastatic Carcinoma and Myeloma of the Femur. This CPG furnishes medical, radiation, and surgical providers with 13 recommendations for the treatment of patients diagnosed with metastatic or myelomatous lesions of the femur. MSTS, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) were involved in the creation of the CPG.

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