Clinical evaluation of bowed legs in children

Coronal plane deformity around the knee in the skeletally immature population: A review of principles of evaluation and treatment

Coronal plane deformity around the knee, also known as genu varum or genu valgum, is a common finding in clinical practice for pediatricians and orthopedists. These deformities can be physiological or pathological. If untreated, pathological deformities can lead to abnormal joint loading and a consequent risk of premature osteoarthritis. The aim of this review is to provide a framework for the diagnosis and management of genu varum and genu valgum in skeletally immature patients.

Knee measurements among children with normal alignment, physiologic and pathologic bowing aged 0-3 years old: a systematic review

Distinguishing physiologic and pathologic genu varus is challenging among children below age 3. They can be assessed by measuring intercondylar distance (ICD), clinical tibiofemoral angle (cTFA) or radiologic TFA (rTFA). We aim to determine the knee measurement values among three groups of children. Medline (1946-) and EMBase (1947-) were searched until 31 July 2020 using a search strategy. Studies with original data which reported knee measurements among children with normal alignment, physiologic and pathologic bowing between the ages of 0-3 years were included. In total 1897 studies were identified, and 16 studies included after title and abstract screening. These studies involved 1335 patients with normal alignment, 286 with physiologic and 184 with pathologic bowing. Five studies provided data on ICD, seven on cTFA and eight on rTFA which were pooled for meta-analyses. Normal children had neither measurable ICD nor demonstrable varus on cTFA after 19 months old. The mean (95% confidence interval) ICD for children with pathologic genu varus at 18 months was 4.41 (4.19-4.63). The rTFA for children with pathologic compared to the physiologic bowing by age groups was; 11-20 months: 24.74°(23.22°-26.26°) vs. 19.44°(17.05°-21.84°), 21-30 months: 20.35°(18.13°-22.56°) vs. 14.72°(12.32°-17.12°) and 12-36 months: 32.60°(26.40°-38.80°) vs. 19.14°(17.78°-20.50°). Children above the age of 18 months with genu varus should be closely monitored clinically using ICD or cTFA. An ICD of more than 4 cm may warrant further investigation for pathologic cause. rTFA has limited use in the detection of pathologic varus.

Deformity Reconstruction Surgery for Blount's Disease

Blount's disease is an idiopathic developmental abnormality affecting the medial proximal tibia physis resulting in a multi-planar deformity with pronounced tibia varus. A single cause is unknown, and it is currently thought to result from a multifactorial combination of hereditary, mechanical, and developmental factors. Relationships with vitamin D deficiency, early walking, and obesity have been documented. Regardless of the etiology, the clinical and radiographic findings are consistent within the two main groups. Early-onset Blount's disease is often bilateral and affects children in the first few years of life. Late-onset Blount's disease is often unilateral and can be sub-categorized as juvenile tibia vara (ages 4-10), and adolescent tibia vara (ages 11 and older). Early-onset Blount's disease progresses to more severe deformities, including depression of the medial tibial plateau. Additional deformities in both groups include proximal tibial procurvatum, internal tibial torsion, and limb length discrepancy. Compensatory deformities in the distal femur and distal tibia may occur. When non-operative treatment fails the deformities progress through skeletal maturity and can result in pain, gait abnormalities, premature medial compartment knee arthritis, and limb length discrepancy. Surgical options depend on the patient's age, weight, extent of physeal involvement, severity, and number of deformities. They include growth modulation procedures such as guided growth for gradual correction with hemi-epiphysiodesis and physeal closure to prevent recurrence and equalize limb lengths, physeal bar resection, physeal distraction, osteotomies with acute correction and stabilization, gradual correction with multi-planar dynamic external fixation, and various combinations of all modalities. The goals of surgery are to restore normal joint and limb alignment, equalize limb lengths at skeletal maturity, and prevent recurrence. The purpose of this literature review is to delineate basic concepts and reconstructive surgical treatment strategies for patients with Blount's disease.

The diagnosis and management of common childhood orthopedic disorders: An update

Musculoskeletal illness represents a significant portion of office visits to primary and urgent care clinicians. Despite this, little emphasis is placed on learning pediatric orthopaedics during medical school or residency. The focus of this paper is to provide a systematic approach to this general musculoskeletal physical exam and to assist in the recognition of what conditions are normal development and what conditions require observation, workup and referral to an experienced pediatric orthopaedist.

Prognostic Reliability of a New Classification System for Blount's Disease

Objective

We conducted this study to evaluate the reproducibility of a new classification system for Blount's disease and assess its correlation with established radiological measures used to evaluate the severity of this disorder.

Materials and Methods

This is a retrospective review of children with Blount’s disease that were younger than 10 years of age. Recurrence was defined as the need for a second corrective surgery. Radiographs immediately pre-surgery and at final follow-up were used to measure mechanical axis (MA), tibial metaphyseal-diaphyseal angle (TMDA), epiphyseal-metaphyseal angle (EMA), lateral distal femoral angle (LDFA), and medial proximal tibial angle (MPTA). Patients were stratified according to the new classification (Type A, B, or C).

Results

Sixty-five limbs from 16 males and 24 females met our inclusion criteria. The average follow-up was 4.2 years. Twelve patients (with 22 Type-A extremities) underwent bracing with a success rate of 54%. Thirty-four patients (53 extremities) underwent surgical correction. The recurrence rate was 35.8%. Group C had a recurrence rate of 62%, higher than that of Group B (33%), and Group A (23%) (P = 0.026). In addition, irrespective of reoperation, patients in Group C had the least change in the MA (62%, P = 0.046) and the most severe values of MPTA and TMDA initially and after the operation (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The new classification system for Blount’s disease holds validity for predicting recurrence. The severity of the grades is correlated with the TMDA, MPTA, and varus reversibility. This can aid physicians and families in making an informed decision and setting treatment goals.

Prevalence of musculoskeletal normal variations of the lower limbs in pediatric orthopedic clinic

OBJECTIVES

To determine the rate of pediatric orthopedic clinic visits attributable to normal musculoskeletal (MSK) variations in children less than 12 years of age; to characterize the etiology and to characterize the etiology and management plan in this group in an attempt to identify areas that could be improved in pediatric orthopedic clinical practice.

METHODS

The study was a retrospective evaluation of 2,321 consecutive patients who visited a private pediatric orthopedic specialty clinic in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between 2011-2016. All consultations were recorded in accordance with the standard protocol  via data record form.

RESULTS

We identified 764 (32.9%) patients with normal variation of the lower limbs, age birth to 12 years old. No significant association between gender and normal variation was noticed. The following types of normal variation were registered: 189 (24.7 %) genu varus or valgus, 257 (33.6%) in-toe gait, and 318 (41.6%) flexible flat foot. Seven hundred and thirty-seven (96.5%) cases were normal variations, while only 27 cases (3.5%) were deemed pathological and required further treatment.

CONCLUSION

Normal variations represent the most common complaint in pediatric orthopedic private practice. Inappropriate referrals, useless follow-up visits, and excessive investigations were a common practice, overloading the health care system. None of the previous efforts made any notable improvement.

The diagnosis and management of common childhood orthopedic disorders

Musculoskeletal illness represents a significant portion of office visits to primary care physicians. Despite this, little emphasis is placed on learning pediatric orthopedics during medical school or residency. Many articles have been written on selected disorders, or approaches to common conditions, such as the limping child. Sometimes determining where to start and how to move toward a diagnosis prevents prompt evaluation, referral, and treatment. Based on the author's experience as a general pediatrician trained in, and exclusively practicing, nonoperative pediatric orthopedics, approaches to selected complaints related to the musculoskeletal system are presented. Emphasis is placed on conditions resulting in frequent consultation with pediatric orthopedists from pediatricians and other primary care practitioners, either in the office or over the phone. Important features that may not be familiar to the primary care physician are highlighted, including the identification of aspects that require further evaluation and indications for consultation. Guidance regarding in-office management is also provided.