ArticleFoot & ankle orthopaedics2022
Cadaveric Examination of the Radiographic Safe Zone for Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of the Calcaneus Posterior Facet.
Article in Foot & ankle orthopaedics, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study is to define a safe zone for screw placement on a lateral radiograph of the calcaneus taking into account the lateral to medial convexity of the posterior facet. Such findings may serve to improve surgical quality during open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of the posterior facet of the calcaneus. Methods: Eleven cadaveric calcanei were harvested and the articular margins of the posterior facet were outlined with a radiopaque wire. Lateral radiographs, similar to those used for intraoperative fluoroscopy, of each specimen were obtained and calibrated to a standardized marker. The proximal-to-distal length of the posterior facet was then divided into quadrants. The greatest height difference between the superolateral and inferomedial surfaces outlined by the radiopaque marker were measured in the 2 most posterior quadrants, as screw insertion in this area would be mostly likely to risk screw penetration during ORIF. Results: The average distance from the osseous surface to the radiographic marker was 3.3 ± 1.2 mm in the most posterior quadrant (fourth quadrant) and 3.2 ± 1.6 mm in the quadrant just anterior to this (third quadrant). The range for unsafe screw placement was 1.7 to 5.6 mm below the osseous surface in the fourth quadrant and 1.1 to 6.6 mm in the third quadrant. Conclusion: Intraoperative radiographic assessment of the safety of subchondral posterior facet screws does not correlate to its osteology. Because of the superolateral to inferomedial convexity of the posterior facet of the calcaneus, overly long screws may appear to be radiographically intraosseous, though in actuality the screw may be intra-articular. On average, screws placed in the fourth quadrant of the facet are at less risk if 3.3 mm inferior to the upper margin of the osseous shadow on fluoroscopic imaging and 3.2 mm inferior in the third quadrant. Though limited by a small sample size, this study sets a foundation for future research into this complex osteology. Level of Evidence: Level V, mechanism-based reasoning.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.