Treatment of acute distal biceps tendon ruptures - A survey of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society surgical membership

Background

Acute distal biceps tendon ruptures result in weakness and deformity. While in other jurisdictions the rate of surgical repair has outpaced rises in incidence, UK practice for distal biceps tendon ruptures is unknown. The aim of this survey was to characterise current UK clinical practice.

Methods

An online survey was sent to the surgeon members of the British Elbow and Shoulder Society. Questions covered respondent demographics, clinical decision making, surgical experience and willingness to be involved in future research.

Results

A total of 242 surgeons responded; 99% undertook acute distal biceps tendon repairs with 83% repairing at least half of all distal biceps tendon ruptures, and 84% of surgeons would have their own, hypothetical, acute distal biceps tendon rupture repaired in their dominant arm and 67% for their non-dominant arm. Patient age, occupation and restoration of strength were the commonest factors underpinning a recommendation of surgical fixation. Most surgeons (87%) supported a national trial to study operative and non-operative treatments.

Conclusions

UK upper limb surgeons currently advise surgical repair of acute distal biceps tendon ruptures for the majority of their patients. This is despite a paucity of evidence to support improved outcomes following surgical, rather than non-operative, management. There is a clear need for robust clinical evaluation in this area.

Neuropathic features of joint pain: a community-based study

OBJECTIVE

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) and questionnaire-based assessments have been used to demonstrate features of neuropathic pain in subjects with musculoskeletal pain. However, their direct relationship has not been investigated in the community. The purpose of this study was to conduct an observational study to describe the characteristics of joint pain and to examine the relationship between QST measures and the PainDETECT Questionnaire (PD-Q).

METHODS

Warm detection, heat pain, and mechanical pain thresholds as well as mechanical pain sensitivity over the sternum were determined and the PD-Q scores were calculated in a cross-sectional study of 462 participants in the Chingford Study. Comparisons were made between subjects with and those without joint pain. Logistic regression modeling was used to describe the association between neuropathic pain features, as determined by the PD-Q score, and each of the QST measures individually, adjusting for age, body mass index, and use of pain-modifying medications.

RESULTS

A total of 66.2% of the subjects reported recent joint pain, with a median average pain severity of 5 of 10. There was increased sensitivity to painful stimuli in the group with pain as compared to the pain-free group, and this persisted after stratification by pain-modifying medication use. While only 6.7% of subjects had possible neuropathic pain features and 1.9% likely neuropathic pain features according to the standard PD-Q thresholds, features of neuropathic pain were common and were present in >50% of those reporting pain of at least moderate severity. Heat pain thresholds and mechanical pain sensitivity were significantly associated with features of neuropathic pain identified using the PD-Q, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.88 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.79-0.97; P = 0.011) and an OR of 1.24 (95% CI 1.04-1.48; P = 0.018), respectively.

CONCLUSION

QST measures and the PD-Q identified features of neuropathic pain in subjects in this community-based study, with significant overlap between the findings of the two techniques.

Evidence that central sensitisation is present in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome and influences the outcome after surgery

Impingement syndrome in the shoulder has generally been considered to be a clinical condition of mechanical origin. However, anomalies exist between the pathology in the subacromial space and the degree of pain experienced. These may be explained by variations in the processing of nociceptive inputs between different patients. We investigated the evidence for augmented pain transmission (central sensitisation) in patients with impingement, and the relationship between pre-operative central sensitisation and the outcomes following arthroscopic subacromial decompression.

We recruited 17 patients with unilateral impingement of the shoulder and 17 age- and gender-matched controls, all of whom underwent quantitative sensory testing to detect thresholds for mechanical stimuli, distinctions between sharp and blunt punctate stimuli, and heat pain. Additionally Oxford shoulder scores to assess pain and function, and PainDETECT questionnaires to identify ‘neuropathic’ and referred symptoms were completed. Patients completed these questionnaires pre-operatively and three months post-operatively.

A significant proportion of patients awaiting subacromial decompression had referred pain radiating down the arm and had significant hyperalgesia to punctate stimulus of the skin compared with controls (unpaired t-test, p < 0.0001). These are felt to represent peripheral manifestations of augmented central pain processing (central sensitisation).

The presence of either hyperalgesia or referred pain pre-operatively resulted in a significantly worse outcome from decompression three months after surgery (unpaired t-test, p = 0.04 and p = 0.005, respectively).

These observations confirm the presence of central sensitisation in a proportion of patients with shoulder pain associated with impingement. Also, if patients had relatively high levels of central sensitisation pre-operatively, as indicated by higher levels of punctate hyperalgesia and/or referred pain, the outcome three months after subacromial decompression was significantly worse.

Genetic influences in the progression of tears of the rotator cuff

The aim of this study was to investigate genetic influences on the development and progression of tears of the rotator cuff. From a group of siblings of patients with a tear of the rotator cuff and of controls studied five years earlier, we determined the prevalence of tears of the rotator cuff with and without associated symptoms using ultrasound and the Oxford Shoulder Score. In the five years since the previous assessment, three of 62 (4.8%) of the sibling group and one of the 68 (1.5%) controls had undergone shoulder surgery. These subjects were excluded from the follow-up. Full-thickness tears were found in 39 of 62 (62.9%) siblings and in 15 of 68 (22.1%) controls (p = 0.0001). The relative risk of full-thickness tears in siblings as opposed to controls was 2.85 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.75 to 4.64), compared to 2.42 (95% CI 1.77 to 3.31) five years earlier. Full-thickness tears associated with pain were found in 30 of 39 (76.9%) tears in the siblings and in eight of 15 (53.3%) tears in the controls (p = 0.045). The relative risk of pain associated with a full-thickness tear in the siblings as opposed to the controls was 1.44 (95% CI 2.04 to 8.28) (p = 0.045). In the siblings group ten of 62 (16.1%) had progressed in terms of tear size or development compared to one of 68 (1.5%) in the control group which had increased in size. Full-thickness rotator cuff tears in siblings are significantly more likely to progress over a period of five years than in a control population. This implies that genetic factors have a role, not only in the development but also in the progression of full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff.

Interprofessional relationships between orthopaedic and podiatric surgeons in the UK

INTRODUCTION

The first comprehensive report on the interprofessional relationships between foot and ankle surgeons in the UK is presented.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A questionnaire was sent to orthopaedic surgeons with membership of the British Foot and Ankle Surgery Society (BOFAS), orthopaedic surgeons not affiliated to the specialist BOFAS and podiatrists specialising in foot surgery. The questionnaire was returned by 77 (49%) of the BOFAS orthopaedic consultant surgeons, 66 (26%) of non-foot and ankle orthopaedic consultant surgeons and 99 (73%) of the podiatric surgeons.

RESULTS

While most respondents have experience of surgeons working in the other specialty in close geographical proximity, the majority do not believe that this has adversely affected their referral base. The experience of podiatrists of the outcomes of orthopaedic surgery has been more positive than orthopaedic surgeons of podiatric interventions. Podiatrists are more welcoming of future orthopaedic involvement in future foot and ankle services than in reverse. However, there are a sizeable number of surgeons in both professions who would like to see closer professional liaisons. The study has identified clear divisions between the professions but has highlighted areas where there is a desire from many clinicians to work more harmoniously together, such as in education, training and research.

CONCLUSIONS

While major concerns exist over issues such as surgery by non-registered medical practitioners and the suitable spectrum of surgery for each profession, many surgeons, in both professions, are willing to provide training for juniors in both specialties and there is a wish to have closer working relationships and common educational and research opportunities than exists at present.

The assessment of early osteoarthritis

Treatment strategies for osteoarthritis most commonly involve the removal or replacement of damaged joint tissue. Relatively few treatments attempt to arrest, slow down or reverse the disease process. Such options include peri-articular osteotomy around the hip or knee, and treatment of femoro-acetabular impingement, where early intervention may potentially alter the natural history of the disease. A relatively small proportion of patients with osteoarthritis have a clear predisposing factor that is both suitable for modification and who present early enough for intervention to be deemed worthwhile. This paper reviews recent advances in our understanding of the pathology, imaging and progression of early osteoarthritis.

Understanding pain in osteoarthritis

The majority of patients with osteoarthritis present to orthopaedic surgeons seeking relief of pain and associated restoration of function. Although our understanding of the physiology of pain has improved greatly over the last 25 years there remain a number of unexplained pain-related observations in patients with osteoarthritis. The understanding of pain in osteoarthritis, its modulation and treatment is central to orthopaedic clinical practice and in this annotation we explore some of the current concepts applicable. We also introduce the concept of the ‘phantom joint’ as a cause for persistent pain after joint replacement.

Sciatic nerve injury caused by pre-operative intraneural injection of local anaesthetic during total hip replacement

We report a case of iatrogenic sciatic nerve injury caused by pre-operative intraneural injection of local anaesthetic at total hip replacement. To our knowledge, this is unreported in the orthopaedic literature. We consider sacral nerve blockade in patients undergoing total hip replacement to be undesirable and present guidelines for the management of peri-operative sciatic nerve injury.

One in 13 'original' articles in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery are duplicate or fragmented publications

Duplicate publication in orthopaedic journals may further an author's academic career but this is at the cost of both scientific integrity and knowledge. Multiple publications of the same work increase the workload of editorial boards, misguide the reader and affect the process of meta-analysis. We found that of 343 'original' articles published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in 1999, 26 (7.6%) had some degree of redundancy. The prevalence of duplicate publications in the orthopaedic literature appears to be less than that in other surgical specialties but it is still a matter of concern. It is the author's responsibility to notify the editor of any duality when submitting a paper for publication.

The impact of implementing the Ottawa ankle rules on ankle radiography requests in A&E

This audit was set up to quantify the effect of implementing the Ottawa ankle rules in a district general hospital that relies on both medical and nursing radiography requests. Data were collected prospectively on 207 patients who presented with an acute ankle injury between August 2001 and February 2002. The department's activity was recorded before and after a period of teaching on the Ottawa ankle rules. Before teaching, 71% of patients with an acute ankle injury were sent for radiography; teaching reduced this figure to 56% (p < 0.05). Auditing the activity of our department enabled us to observe a significant decrease in the number of patients sent for ankle radiography following acute ankle injury. This correlates well with research in other settings. The difficulties of rationalising radiology investigations are discussed.