POSTER ABSTRACTS - ISAKOS

E-poster #907
Characteristic Changes in the Range of Motion
of the Shoulders of High School Baseball
Pitchers After Throwing
Shigeto Nakagawa, Osaka, JAPAN, Presenter
Kenji Hayashida, Osaka, JAPAN
Yukiyoshi Toritsuka, Amagasaki, Hyogo JAPAN
Yukioka Hospital & Osaka University Medical
School, Osaka, JAPAN
The present study investigated the influence of
throwing on the range of motion of the shoulders
of high school baseball pitchers. Sixty-one
pitchers, who took part in the national high school
baseball tournament and reached the
quarterfinals or semifinals, were investigated with
regard to their range of motion. External and
internal rotation in 90 degrees of abduction was
examined prior to the tournament and
immediately after the quarterfinal or semifinal,
and the average difference between the two
shoulders was compared. Prior to the tournament,
the throwing shoulder showed 7.5 degrees more
external rotation and 12.8 degrees less internal
rotation compared with the other shoulder on
average. At the time of investigation after the
quarterfinal or semifinal, the average increment of
external rotation and deficit of internal rotation
was 5.6 degrees and 11.6 degrees, respectively.
Among the individual patients, the increment of
external rotation and internal rotation deficit prior
to the tournament were reduced in 27 and 33
players, respectively, at the final investigation.
When 2 groups with a difference of more than and
no more than 10 degrees in external rotation prior
to the tournament were compared, external
rotation decreased from 19.6 degrees to 8.2
degrees in the 22 players with a difference of more
than 10 degrees, but increased from 0.6 to 4.1 in
the 39 players with a difference of no more than
10 degrees. Similarly, the average internal rotation
deficit changed from 22.3 to 11.4 in 32 players and
from 2.2 to 10.5 in 29 players, respectively. In
conclusion, the increment of external rotation and
internal rotation deficit of the throwing shoulder
tended to normalize during the baseball
tournament. While microinjury to the soft tissues
around the shoulder appears to influence this
kind of change, the actual changes varied among
the players.
E-poster #909
Use and Safety of a Hybrid Polygalactic Acid
and Polylactic Acid (PGA/PLA) Fixation Device
for Shoulder Surgery
Denise Criswell, Valparaiso, IN, USA,
Ron Clark, Valparaiso, IN USA Presenter
Lakeshore Bone and Joint Institute, Chesterton,
IN, USA
INTRO: In the last 5 years there has been a
proliferation of resorbable fixation devices for use
in arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Devices made
from polygalactic acid (PGA) are known for loss of
fixation strength in under 8 weeks while devices
made from polylactic acid (PLA) are known to
resorb much slower. Anecdotal reports abound
regarding device separation with PLA implants
resulting in symptomatic loose body formation.
We hypothesized that a fixation device made of a
combination of PGA/PLA with a resorption profile
of 6-9 months would result in improved clinical
fixation and not generate symptomatic loose
bodies. METHOD: We evaluated the use and
safety of a rivet type fixation device of PGA/PLA
for three different types of shoulder procedures,
rotator cuff repair, SLAP repair, and labral repair.
Thirty consecutive patients were selected for
participation in a prospective fashion between
July 2001 and February 2003. Surgical techniques
utilized the beach chair position and traditional
arthroscopic portal placement and both
arthroscopic and mini-open rotator cuff
approaches. The ArthroRivet fixation device
(Arthrotek, Warsaw, IN) composed of 18% PGA
and 82% PLA, was placed using the manufacturers
recommended technique for each repair. Followup
examinations were scheduled at 4 week
intervals after an initial post-operative visit for
rehabilitation guidance and a final follow-up at
one year with radiographs. Clinical outcomes were
assesed using the modified UCLA score.
RESULTS: There were 13 females and 17 males
with an ave. age of 45 (16-75). The types of
procedures included: 9 type II SLAP repairs, 17
rotator cuff repairs, and 4 anterior labral repairs.
Seven cases (23%) involved worker's comp claims
and 24 cases were performed all arthroscopically
(87%). Clinical outcomes were rated as excellent
28 (93%), poor 3 (6%), with one patient lost (3%).
Two of the poor outcome patients returned to the
operating room for additional procedures
(manipulation and revision cuff repair) and were
later scored as excellent outcomes. Two of the
patients with poor results had mini-open cuff