OrthopaedicJOHNS HOPKINS Surgery NEWS FOR PHYSICIANS FROM JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE Winter 2019 The Total Ankle Replacement Continues to Evolve James Ficke he total ankle prosthesis recently approved option, although patients’ recovery can last several Ficke previously served for three decades in the by the Food and Drug Administration months and they must adjust to life with limited joint U.S. Army, and says his interest in ankle treatments requires the resection of less bone than other mobility. springs from his work with soldiers who suffered systems now in use in the U.S. “This is an A handful of orthopaedic surgeons in the U.S. are traumatic foot and ankle injuries. T now using the device for total ankle replacement. The “That really led me to my current work on post- important development because if we do a total ankle replacement with a minimal cut and it fails, there are Johns Hopkins orthopaedic surgery team implanted traumatic arthritis,” he says. “While people don’t die n now other device options for use in revision, without its first one in April 2018 and are hopeful that the new from arthritis, it does create tremendous disability.” needing to resort to fusion,” says James Ficke, pro- device will mean more choices for patients. fessor of orthopaedic surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “ We really need to continue The survivorship of ankle prostheses is roughly to challenge the designs and 80 percent at eight years, compared with more than 95 percent at 10–15 years for hips and knees. “If you surgical techniques in order to were a patient with ankle arthritis in that 20 percent improve the survivorship for who failed and you’re 50 years old, you were in a really Explore Our Online tough spot because, until recently, there hasn’t been total ankles.” another good option,” says Ficke. “We really need –James Ficke Resource for Physicians: to continue to challenge the designs and surgical Clinical Connection The Johns Hopkins team was led by Ficke, who has techniques in order to improve the survivorship for Connect with Johns Hopkins health total ankles.” no financial interest in the newly approved device or any other total ankle prostheses. The team will follow care professionals sharing insights Although the typical treatment for late-stage on the latest clinical innovations osteoarthritis of the hip or knee is total replacement, the outcomes of the patients and continue to seek and advances in patient care. that has not been the standard approach for the ankle. improvements in function for those who suffer from For decades, fusion has been considered the best arthritis after injury. Visit hopkinsmedicine.org/ clinicalconnection PEDIATRIC SURGERY Rare Limb Length Differences in Pediatric Patients can estimate using measurements and algorithms that calculate growth—often require surgical intervention to avoid pain and functional mobility limitations. When patients come to see Shannon for the first time, she starts by performing a comprehensive physical exam of all the limbs as well as other areas of anatomy that might give a tip-off for undiagnosed genetic syndromes. She also works with colleagues in radiology to collect imaging that can help characterize a patient’s deformity. For smaller limb differences, she often recommends epiphysiodesis to introduce scar tissue in the growth plate of the unaffected limb to halt its growth, allowing the affected limb to catch up as it continues to grow longer. For those with more severe limb differences, she recommends lengthening procedures with an external frame for patients whose growth plates are still active. Physical therapist Alex Parra and Eva For those whose growth plates are closed, she Ricano-Medina recommends an internal rod controlled by magnets. Each of these lengthening procedures can take up to several months to complete. Patients with procedures every few years as they grow. Close congenital deformities often require multiple follow-up over time allows Shannon to get to know her patients and families, and to celebrate their successes. Eva Ricano-Medina “ Every time Eva For example, five-year-old Eva Ricano-Medina and Claire Shannon comes in, she was born with Ollier’s disease, which caused benign cartilaginous tumors at the growth plates in her left wants to tell leg, bowing the leg and restricting its growth. After a comprehensive physical exam, Shannon used an imb length differences of under 1.5-2 centi- me how much external frame as part of Eva’s treatment. meters are tolerable for most, requiring either straighter and “When she first met me, she said that all she no intervention at all or mild fixes such as stronger her leg is wanted to do was play soccer. But she just couldn’t shoe lifts, says Claire Shannon, a Johns L becoming. It’s great to hear.” keep up with the other kids,” says Shannon. Now, Hopkins pediatric orthopaedic surgeon. However, “Every time Eva comes in, she wants to tell me how patients with larger differences—which Shannon –Claire Shannon (continued on page 4) CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH Developing New Treatments for Osteoarthritis lthough there are currently no treatments that can modify or halt the course of osteo- arthritis in its trajectory, research led by Xu A Cao, professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, may change that. About five years ago, Cao’s team unveiled a new hypothesis about the biology of osteoarthritis and how it first unfolds. Unlike other prevailing views of the disease, which focus primarily on the articular cartilage, Cao’s research centered on articular cartilage and subchondral bone as a functional unit, particularly Xu Cao the molecular signals that drive the pathological 2 • JOHNS HOPKINS ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY WINTER 2 0 1 9 TO DISCUSS A CASE OR TO REFER A PATIENT, CALL 443-997-2663 (BONE) INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE The X-ray on the left shows a patient’s failed shoulder A New Approach for Shoulder Replacements implant. The one on the right shows the revision with the and Fractures in the Midshaft and Below new prosthesis and a plate. Uma ohns Hopkins orthopaedic surgeons are combin- passing cables,” says orthopaedic surgeon tension for the reverse shoulder prosthesis. Srikumaran ing a novel prosthesis for shoulder replacement . “And it’s definitely stronger with “This repair allows us to get patients moving with a metal plate to make a sturdier repair of the screws going all the way across the plate, the sooner because it’s more rigid, which is also an J prosthesis and the bone.” fractures in the proximal humerus, midshaft and (continued on page 4) farther down the humerus. The absence of cement is another advantage. “If The prosthesis has a stem with multiple holes something is off rotationally or out of alignment and along the distal aspect of the shaft, making it you want to make an adjustment, you just remove “ This repair allows possible to connect to the bone with long screws. the screws, make the adjustment and replace the These holes also enable surgeons to interlock the screws,” he says. “It’s a lot faster than having to dig us to get patients prosthesis with a plate, offering stronger, more rigid out the cement and start over.” moving sooner repairs of fractures located below the stem. When there are fractures farther down the While traditionally the shoulder prosthesis humerus, the prosthesis may be a better alternative because it’s more is connected to a metal plate using cable and a to press-fit stems, says Srikumaran, mainly because rigid.” press fitting makes it more difficult for the surgeon small screw, “securing the stem and plate with –Uma Srikumaran interlocking screws is easier and can be faster than to set specific characteristics, such as height and CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH changes of the subchondral bone on cartilage. The the guidance of an orthopaedic surgeon. This team showed that by intercepting the signals of clinical approach is unique among groups currently the protein called TGF-ß1, they could stave off the evaluating potential therapies for osteoarthritis, development of osteoarthritis in mouse models of says Cao. Other investigators typically inject the disease. therapeutics into the synovial cavity surrounding Cao and colleagues, both at Johns Hopkins and the joint. Halofuginone is directly delivered into at research organizations in China, are now working subchondral bone to inhibit excessively active to translate this discovery into novel therapies TGF-ß1 and a progression of osteoarthritis. for osteoarthritis patients. They are studying two Participants in Cao’s trial of halofuginone will different types of TGF-ß1 inhibitors: One is a be followed for one year and monitored both for small molecule inhibitor linked to the osteoporosis improvement in joint pain as well as reduction in drug bisphosphonate, and the other is a chemical bone marrow edema in the subchondral bone as Introducing the Johns Hopkins analog of a plant-derived compound used in ancient visualized by MRI. If successful, the trial in China Chinese herbal medicine to treat malaria. The could enable future trials in the U.S. Doctor Referral App latter inhibitor, known as halofuginone, is now “There is no disease-modifying therapy for This new app provides a simple way for health undergoing clinical trial in China to evaluate its osteoarthritis, period. So if halofuginone proves care providers to connect with and refer safety and efficacy. safe and effective, it will be the first of its kind,” patients to physicians across Johns Hopkins The trial, which opened in June, seeks to enroll says Cao. “More broadly, it will also represent a real Medicine in the departments of orthopaedics, 40 patients with early stage osteoarthritis of the change in philosophy for how skeletal diseases are surgery, neurosurgery and urology.