Ortho Flashcards
what age group does SUFE affect?
19-16y old
What are the risk factors for SUFE?
- Obesity
- Family history
- Trauma (e.g., sports-related injury or fall)
- Endocrine or hormonal factors (e.g., hypothyroidism, pituitary tumors, down syndrome, renal osteodystrophy, craniopharyngioma)
What is the typical presentation of SUFE?
Onset - acute , chronic (3wks to several mths), acute on chronic
Location - bilateral in 20-40% of cases
Symptoms - Dull pain in the medial thigh, knee, groin, or hip (often left > right)
- Limping
- reduced internal rotation and abduction
- May hold their leg in passive external rotation
What sign is positive in SUFE?
Drehmann sign -
The Drehmann sign is positive if an unavoidable passive external rotation of the hip occurs when performing a hip flexion. In addition, an internal rotation of the respective hip joint is either not possible or accompanied by pain when forcefully induced
How do you diagnose SUFE?
AP pelvis x-ray
Frog leg lateral view (supine position, flexion of 45° and abduction of 45° in the hip): It allows for better evaluation of both hips, femoral head and neck.
Findings:
- Widening of the joint space
- The femoral head is displaced posteriorly and inferiorly in relation to the femoral neck.
- Klein line not passing the femoral head: It is a straight line drawn along the superior border of the femoral neck that normally passes through the femoral head.
- Southwick method - refers to the tilt of the femoral neck in relation to the femoral head
What is the treatment for SUFE?
Avoid weight bearing before stabilisation
Urgent surgical internal fixation with pinning of the femoral head
What classification is used in perthes disease?
Lateral pillar classification / Herring classification
SEE notes
What are the clinical features of perthes disease?
Antalgic gait (on weight-bearing leg)
Pain in the hip or the upper leg, sometimes projecting to the knee
- Insidious onset, pain may fluctuate depending on physical activity
- Often exacerbated by internal rotation
- FABER test (Flexion, ABduction, and External Rotation) might be positive.
A 52-year-old male is referred to urology clinic with impotence. He is known to have hypertension. He does not have any morning erections. On further questioning the patient reports pain in his buttocks, this worsens on mobilising. On examination there is some muscle atrophy. The penis and scrotum are normal. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Leriche syndrome
What is the triad of symptoms in Leriche syndrome?
- Claudication of the buttocks and thighs
- Atrophy of the musculature of the legs
- Impotence (due to paralysis of the L1 nerve)
what is the commonest cause of fracture in patients falling with an outstretched hand?
Colles fracture
Dorsiflexed wrist
What tests are positive for an anterior cruiciate ligament injury?
Positive lachman test
Positive anterior draw test
What are the features of the unhappy tria?
Simultaneous injury of the ACL, MCL and medial meniscus
This injury typically occurs due to excessive valgus and external rotational stress with a fixed foot position
A 21-year-old female football player comes to the walk in clinic with severe left knee pain. She states that she has landed awkwardly on her knee during a football game. She heard a ‘snapping sound’ when she injured her knee which was followed by significant swelling around the left knee joint. Physical examination reveals increased laxity on anterior drawer of the left tibia relative to the femur. Which of the following tests would be most appropriate in confirming the diagnosis?
Knee MRI
What is the typical features of ACL injury and typical history?
ACL injuries often occur in sports that require pivoting or rapid changes in direction
Such patients will often complain of a popping sensation followed by rapid onset haemarthrosis
instability, feeling that knee will give way
Aanterior draw test: knee at 90 degrees
Lachman’s test: knee at 30 degrees - more reliable than anterior draw test
What is the aetiology of osteomyelitis?
- Haematogenous osteomyelitis
- Most common in children
- verterbral osteomyelitis is the common form of haematogenous spread in adults
- Risk factors: Sickle cell anaemia, intravenous drug user, immunosuppression due to either medication or HIV, infective endocarditis - Exogenous osteoyelitis -
- Posttraumatic - infection following deep injury
- Secondary to infected foot ulcer in diabetic pts
- Iatrogenic - postoperative infection of a prosthetic joint implant
- Risk factors include: diabetic foot ulcers/pressure sores, diabetes mellitus, peripheral arterial disease
What is the organism that causes osteomyelitis?
Staph. aureus is the most common cause except in patients with sickle-cell anaemia where Salmonella species predominate
What is the investigation required when osteomyelitis is suspected?
MRI is the imaging modality of choice
What is the Tx for osteomyelitis?
Flucloxacillin for 6 weeks
Clindamycin if penicillin-allergic
Commonest cause of osteomyelitis in pts with prosthetic joints?
Staph epidermidis
Commonest cause of osteomyelitis in IV drug users?
Pseduomonas aeruginosa
Commonest cause of osteomyelitis in pts with bites from dogs or cats?
Pasterualla multocida
A 71-year-old man with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension presents to his GP with an ulcer on his left foot. On examination, there is a sloughy punched-out ulcer on the sole with significant erythema around it. The left foot is grossly oedematous and tender to palpation throughout, especially across the metatarsals.
What is the most appropriate imaging to arrange of his foot?
MRI is the imaging modality of choice
Diabetic patient with a foot ulcer which has likely led to osteomyelitis
You review a femoral X-ray of a 13-year-old boy which you requested yesterday. He presented with bony pain in his distal femur which had been constant over 1 month. The X-ray shows medullary and cortical bone destruction of the distal femur. How should this X-ray be followed up?
Ensure patient is seen by specialist within 48hrs
X‑ray which could suggest bone sarcoma
What are the 3 types of malignant bone tumours?
- Osteosarcoma
- Ewings sarcoma (although non bony sites recognised)
- Chondrosarcoma - originate from Chondrocytes
What age group and sex is most at risk of Ewing sarcoma?
10-20yrs of age
Second highest cause of bone tomour in children after osteosarcoma
Commoner in males
What is the commonest site of Ewing sarcoma?
Primary tumor: often diaphyses of long bones (particularly femur, tibia, fibula, and humerus) and bones of the pelvis
However, Ewing sarcoma can occur in any bone and even in soft tissue.
Mets - lungs, skeletal system and bone marrow
What is the common prestation of Ewing sarcoma?
Manifests with
- localized pain (progressive, worsens at night)
- hyperthermia
- swelling after trauma to the bone (tissue mass that is tender to palpation and accompanied by erythema)
What is seen on Xray in Ewing sarcoma?
Lytic bone lesions
Onion skin appearance of the periosteum
What is the cause of osteosarcoma?
Primary osteosarcoma: unknown
Secondary osteosarcoma: Paget disease of bone, radiation injury, bone infarction
increased risk in individuals with retinoblastoma
What are the clinical features of osteosarcoma?
- Frequently first manifests with pain (progressive, worsens at night and with activity)
- Progressive swelling (tissue mass that is tender to palpation and accompanied by erythema)
- Pathological fractures
- Limping , decreased range of motion
What is the X-ray findings of osteosarcoma?
- Sunburst appearance of lytic bone lesions and/or Codman triangles
- Signs of osteolysis adjacent to osteosclerosis (moth-eaten appearance)
Remember to wear your SOCK (Sunburst, Osteosarcoma, Codman, Knee region).
Who is at most risk of rib fractures?
Those with a PMH of osteoporosis, steroid use or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
What is are the complications to look out for in rib fractures?
- Auscultation of the chest may reveal crackles or reduced breath sounds if there is an underlying lung injury
- Pain and underlying lung injury can also result in a reduction in ventilation causing a drop in oxygen saturation –> chest infections
- Pneumothorax - a serious complication of a rib fracture and presents with reduced chest expansion, reduced breath sounds and hyper-resonant percussion on the affected side
What is the best investigation for rib fractures?
CT scan of the chest
What is the Mx of rib fractures?
- Majority of cases are managed conservatively with good analgesia to ensure breathing is not affected by pain
- Inadequate ventilation may predispose to chest infections
- Surgical fixation - can be considered to manage pain
What is the use of the Ottawa ankle rules?
Used to indicate whether x-ray for ankle and midfoot injuries is necessary
What are the Ottawa ankle rules?
Patient experiences pain in the malleolar region and one of the following:
- Tenderness at the posterior border or tip of the lateral malleolus - fibula
- Tenderness at the posterior border or tip of the medial malleolus - tibia
- Inability to weight bear for 4 steps
What is the classification of ankle fractures used?
Weber classification
Type A is below the syndesmosis
Type B fractures start at the level of the tibial plafond and may extend proximally to involve the syndesmosis
Type C is above the syndesmosis which may itself be damaged
What is a maisonneuve fracture?
Spiral fibular fracture that leads to disruption of the syndesmosis with widening of the ankle joint, surgery is required.
A 25-year-old male presents to the emergency department (ED) having twisted his ankle playing football. On arrival at the ED, he cannot walk more than 2 steps and has bony tenderness at the lateral malleolus. An x-ray is performed showing an undisplaced fracture of the fibula, just distal to the syndesmosis.
How should this patient be treated?
Weber A fracture - pateints with minimally displaced stable fractures
Analgesia and encourage to weight bear as tolerated using a controlled ankle motion boot
What is De quervain’s tenosynovitis?
The sheath containing the extensor pollicis brevis and abductor pollicis longus tendons is inflamed.
What are the features of de quervain’s tenosynovitis?
- Pain on the radial side of the wrist
- Tenderness over the radial styloid process
- Abduction of the thumb against resistance is painful
- Positive Finkelstein test : examiner grasps the affected thumb and exerts longitudinal traction across the palm of the hand towards the ulnar side, which causes pain