Jun-Ichi Fukushi

Extensive soft tissue defects of the ankle are an uncommon but challenging problem that require a combination of reconstructive options. We report the case of a complex injury involving the skin, lateral ankle ligaments, and peroneal tendons that were anatomically reconstructed. A 15-year-old girl was injured in an automobile accident resulting in extensive soft tissue defects and marked instability of her right ankle. The lower two-thirds of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) had segmental defects, and calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) was completely torn, and both peroneal longus and brevis tendons were severely damaged. Initial debridement was performed on the day on injury. Two weeks after injury, the ATFL and CFL were reconstructed using a semitendinosus autograft and suture tape augmentation. Both peroneal tendons were reconstructed using a gracilis autograft. The skin defect (10 × 10 cm) was covered with an anterolateral thigh flap. After removing a short leg cast at 3 weeks postoperatively, the patient started range of motion exercises without using any brace. Weightbearing was allowed at 4 weeks. At the 24-month follow-up examination, she had returned to her preoperative level of work and sports activities.

Background To achieve sufficient socket coverage by the native bone, high placement of cementless acetabular cup is often required. We previously reported, using computer simulation, that higher hip centre improved the bone coverage but decreased the range of motion in total hip arthroplasty (THA) for patients with hip dysplasia. However, in a clinical setting, the correlation between the hip centre height and dislocation after primary THA is still unclear. We examined whether a high hip centre affects dislocation after THA. Methods A total of 910 patients, with 1079 dysplastic hips, who underwent primary THA were retrospectively reviewed. The age at THA averaged 63.0 years and mean follow-up was 74.3 months. Vertical centre of rotation (V-COR) was defined as the distance from the head centre to the interteardrop line. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression models were applied to identify significant factors affecting dislocation. Results Ten hips in nine patients (0.9%) had dislocation after THA. In univariate analysis, age at surgery and V-COR were significant risk factors for dislocation. Multivariate analysis identified advanced age at operation (odds ratio [OR] 1.8/5 years), Crowe classification (OR 15.6), V-COR (OR 3.1/5 mm), and femoral head size (OR 11.6) as independent risk factors for dislocation. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed the cutoff value of the V-COR for dislocation as 23.9 mm. Conclusions A higher hip centre with the V-COR > 23.9 mm affected dislocation after THA for DDH. Our results would be useful for reconstruction of the hip centre, particularly with cementless acetabular cups.

Streptococcus pyogenes is an uncommon pathogen of purpura fulminans, and the pathogenesis of S. pyogenes-purpura fulminans remains unclear because of paucity of cases. We reported a pediatric case of S. pyogenes-purpura fulminans with literature review of the disease. A 3-year-old boy showed limping, lethargy and acral gangrene within 24 h. A diagnosis of S. pyogenes-purpura fulminans was made for bacterial isolation from throat and peripheral blood. Intensive therapy led to a survival with amputation of the left distal metatarsal bone, and normal development. The isolated M12 carried no mutation of csrS/R or rgg. Thrombophilia or immunodeficiency was excluded. Twelve-reported cases (9 pediatric and 3 elderly) of S. pyogenes-purpura fulminans started with shock and coagulopathy. Five patients age < 8 years had no underlying disease and survived. One youngest and two immunocompromised patients died. Streptococcus pyogenes-acute infectious purpura fulminans is a distinctive rare form of aggressive GAS infections.

This study investigated the risk factors for postoperative complications requiring revision surgery within 3 years after transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy (TRO) for osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). We reviewed 127 patients (147 hips) who underwent TRO (anterior or posterior rotational osteotomy) for ONFH between January 2002 and December 2014. Two patients were lost to follow-up, and five patients with progression of femoral head collapse requiring a salvage procedure such as total hip arthroplasty within 3 years after TRO were excluded. The better hip in patients treated bilaterally was also excluded (n = 20) to avoid duplication of patient demographics, leaving 120 hips (120 patients) for the analysis. We reviewed the medical records of each patient to screen for postoperative complications that required revision surgery within 3 years after surgery, recording the patient’s age, sex, body mass index, surgical side, condition of the contralateral hip, previous alcohol intake, previous alcohol abuse, previous corticosteroid use, perioperative corticosteroid use, smoking status, preoperative stage and type of ONFH, preoperative activity level, and preoperative and final follow-up Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores. Differences between cases with and without complications were analyzed. Eleven (9.2%) cases showed postoperative complications that required revision surgery. The most common complication was deep infection (n = 5), followed by nonunion of the greater trochanter (n = 3), nonunion of the intertrochanteric osteotomy site (n = 2), and femoral head fracture (n = 1). The multivariate analysis showed an independent association between previous alcohol abuse and postoperative complications (odds ratio, 13.5). A correlation might exist between alcohol abuse and complications following a TRO procedure.

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) such as infliximab (IFX) and adalimumab have been shown to be efficacious not only for rheumatoid arthritis but also for Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). However, only a limited number of reports regarding the effect of TNFi on AS in Japanese population have been published. We retrospectively evaluated all 11 patients (8 males and 3 females) with AS who were treated with IFX. After a mean follow-up period of 19 months, the mean BASDAI decreased from 4.7 ± 2.2 to 1.7 ± 1.2 and the serum CRP level decreased from 1.62 ± 1.94 mg/dl to 0.23 ± 0.45 mg/dl. There was no case of serious infection or anaphylaxis. Our results indicate that IFX is efficacious and safe for AS in Japanese patients.

Background: Along with the recent advances in the pharmacological management of rheumatoid arthritis, there is a trend toward the use of joint-preserving surgery in the treatment of rheumatoid forefoot deformities. However, the clinical outcomes of joint-preserving surgery for rheumatoid forefoot deformities have not been assessed in comparison to resection arthroplasty. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 23 feet in 17 patients with rheumatoid forefoot deformities who underwent surgery between January 2010 and December 2013. The patients included 1 male (1 foot) and 16 females (22 feet), with a mean age of 62 years. The mean length of follow-up was 28 months. The patients were treated by 3 surgeons. One surgeon performed joint-preserving procedures (JP group) to the feet in which (1) no pain with motion existed, and (2) the range of motion in the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint was greater than 30 degrees (n = 10); otherwise, resection arthroplasty with arthrodesis of the first MTP joint was performed (n = 3). The other surgeons performed resection arthroplasty in all cases (n = 10) (RA group, n = 13 in total). The clinical outcomes of the patients were evaluated using the Japanese Society for Surgery of the Foot (JSSF) hallux and lesser toe scales. Results: There were no significant differences in the preoperative total JSSF scores for either the hallux (54.5 and 61.4 points) or the lesser toe (45.2 and 57.4 points) between the RA and JP groups, respectively. Postoperatively, the total JSSF scores for both the hallux (79.4 and 88.2 points) and lesser toes (73.6 and 87.7 points) showed significant improvement in both the RA and JP groups, respectively; however, the JP group showed a greater postoperative improvement. The scores relating to the function category on the hallux scale and the alignment category on the lesser toe scale were significantly higher in the JP group. Conclusion: With regard to the function of the hallux and the alignment of the lesser toes, the joint-preserving procedures for rheumatoid forefoot deformities resulted in better clinical outcomes than resection arthroplasty. Level of Evidence: Level III, comparative case series.

We examined the bone mineral density in Yusho patients. 460 subjects underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry bone scans as part of the nationwide Yusho health examination in 2011. Serum levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and non-ortho polychlorinated biphenyls were measured using high-resolution gas chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The average age was 64.0 years in women and 63.4 in men. About one-third (35%) of women (n = 89) had low bone mineral density (BMD), defined as a T-score less than 70, while only 4.9% of men (n = 10) had low BMD. Serum levels of several congeners were positively associated with Z-scores in simple regression analysis. Further multivariate linear regression analysis should be required in the future.