BACKGROUND: Clubfoot is a common congenital condition with a global incidence estimated at 1 in 1 000 live births. There is a paucity of information regarding the epidemiology and incidence of clubfoot in South AfricaOBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and the treatment outcomes of children with clubfoot who were treated at a tertiary hospital in South Africa. A secondary objective was to determine the incidence rate of clubfoot in our direct catchment area (within 40 km from Tygerberg hospital) for the study periodMETHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all records of children with clubfoot from 2014 - 2018. Demographic and clinical information, treatment progression and short-term outcomes including early relapse were collected. A subset of the total cohort, including only clubfoot patients from the direct catchment area of the hospital, together with the number of live births in the direct catchment area, was utilised to calculate the incidence rate of clubfoot in our settingRESULTS: A total of 197 patients were included over a 60-month period. Two-thirds of the patients were male (63.5%; n=125). A positive family history was reported in 12.2% (n=24) of cases, and 88.8% (n=175) and 11.2% (n=22) of patients were diagnosed as having idiopathic clubfoot or syndromic clubfoot, respectively. Relapsed clubfoot was diagnosed in 22.9% (n=40) and 22.7% (n=5) of patients with idiopathic and syndromic clubfoot, respectively. The overall incidence rate of idiopathic clubfoot in our direct catchment area was 1.02 per 1 000 live birthsCONCLUSION: The epidemiology, treatment outcomes and incidence rates observed at our institution are like those reported globally. We report a low positive family history and relapse rate, which could be under reported and should be the focus of future investigations

BACKGROUND: General movement assessment (GMA) is an assessment tool with high predictive validity for neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. Information available describing the trajectory of general movements (GMs) in high-risk preterm-born infants and the use thereof in low- and middle-income countries is limited OBJECTIVE: To describe the trajectories of GMs from birth until 12 - 14 weeks' corrected age, and determine the association of known perinatal risk factors on GM trajectories in very low-birthweight and extremely low-birthweight preterm infants METHODS: This was a longitudinal, prospective cohort study with 119 preterm infants born at <33 weeks' gestation and with a birthweight <1 500 g. GMs were recorded at four key age periods: 1-2 weeks after birth to 33 weeks post menstrual age (PMA); 34 - 37 weeks PMA; term equivalent age (TEA); and 12 - 14 weeks corrected age. Detailed perinatal data were collected RESULTS: A total of 300 GMAs were conducted, 157 during the preterm age, 55 during TEA and 88 at 12 - 14 weeks corrected age. At <33 weeks PMA, 96% of GMs were abnormal and 4% normal. At 34 - 37 weeks PMA, 89% of GMs were abnormal and 11% normal. All GMs recorded at term equivalent age were abnormal. At 12 - 14 weeks corrected age, 7% of GMs were abnormal and 93% normal CONCLUSION: GMs were predominantly abnormal prior to term with a significant decrease in abnormality at 12 - 14 weeks corrected age. Lower birthweight and lower PMA were associated with increased odds for abnormal GMs. In a resource-constrained environment, observing GMs at 12 - 14 weeks corrected age (during the fidgety period) is a time- and cost-effective method to determine the risk for adverse neuro development

BACKGROUND. The accuracy of physical examination to exclude arterial injury in penetrating trauma to extremities has been well established. Objectives. To determine whether the accuracy of physical examination to exclude arterial injury is similar to that of a computed tomography arteriogram (CTA) for different anatomical regions and mechanisms of injury, and in patients with concomitant fractures compared with those without. METHODS. A retrospective review was conducted on all patients who underwent CTA for penetrating injuries to an extremity between 1 June 2016 and 30 June 2017. The presence of arterial injuries was noted, and these were grouped into anatomical areas. Clinical notes were reviewed for the presence of hard signs of arterial injury at initial examination. RESULTS. A total of 220 lower limb and 133 upper limb CTAs were included. The mean patient age was 28.9 years (range 11 - 68). The overall sensitivity of physical examination in detecting a CTA-confirmed arterial injury was 95.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 88.4 - 98.7), with a specificity of 93.9% (95% CI 90.2 - 96.4). Physical examination of the thigh had the highest specificity of 96.4% (95% CI 91.8 - 98.8), followed by the lower leg at 94.4% (95% CI 81.3 - 99.3), the upper arm at 89.6% (95% CI 79.7 - 95.7) and the forearm at 77.8% (95% CI 40.0 - 97.2). For gunshot wounds the specificity was 96.1% (95% CI 92.4 - 98.3), while for stab wounds it was 86.8% (95% CI 74.7 - 94.5). CONCLUSIONS. This study agrees with current literature indicating that physical examination has high specificity in detecting arterial injury in the setting of penetrating trauma to an extremity. However, it shows that the specificity is not equal for all anatomical regions or mechanisms of injury.

BACKGROUND. Fragility hip fractures (FHFs) are associated with significant morbidity, mortality and burden on the healthcare system. European and North American literature suggests that the worldwide incidence of FHFs is increasing, but very little is known about the incidence of FHFs in Africa and South Africa (SA). Historically FHFs were believed to be uncommon in black African populations, but recent studies have shown a marked increase in the incidence compared with the early literature. OBJECTIVES. To investigate the age-, gender- and population group-specific incidences of FHFs in a subpopulation in Eastern Cape Province, SA. Methods. A retrospective review of all patients presenting with FHFs was performed at a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape over a 1-year period. Age-, gender- and population group-specific incidence rates were calculated for 5-year age intervals using the age distribution data of the western region of the Eastern Cape (WREC) as a denominator for each age group. Overall crude incidence rates were calculated by using the sum total of FHFs, divided by the study population. All incidences were calculated as number of fractures per 100 000 people annually. Results. A total of 253 patients with FHFs were included. The crude incidence rate of low-energy hip fractures in the WREC was 19.3 per 100 000 (males 14.6, females 23.4) over the study period. Population group-specific incidences were 15.1, 18.7, 19.9 and 46.6 per 100 000 for black, coloured, Indian and white population groups, respectively. The highest number of low-energy hip fractures in females occurred in the >85-year (19.6%) and 70 - 74-year (16.5%) age groups, with the highest number of male cases observed in the 60 - 64-year group (20.2%). The highest frequency distribution of FHFs was observed in black males aged 60 - 64 years (5.5%; n=14) and black females aged 70 - 74 years (6.3%; n=16). CONCLUSIONS. The local incidence of FHFs is higher than initially reported, but when compared with other countries remains on the lower end of spectrum. A large proportion of FHFs are occurring in young patients (<65 years). These findings warrant further investigation that may prompt the development of preventive strategies and optimal treatment programmes.

BACKGROUND: The management of femoral neck fractures in the younger patient remains contentious, with high failure rates being reported in the literature. Patient age usually plays a major role during decision-making with regard to head-sparing versus head-sacrificing surgical strategies. The aim of this study was to review the outcomes of fixation of femoral neck fractures in patients younger than 65 years in an attempt to identify factors that might predict fixation failure. METHODS: A retrospective study, evaluating the outcome of fixation of femoral neck fractures in patients younger than 65 years of age was conducted. Factors affecting the outcome of treatment were explored in an attempt to identify variables that might predict fixation failure. RESULTS: The final cohort comprised 51 men (76%) and 16 women (24%) with a mean age of 43.9±12.2 years (95% CI 41.0-46.8; range 23-64) and a median follow-up of 8.7 months (IQR 6.2-17.4). Thirteen patients (19%) presented with undisplaced (Garden I and II) fractures while 54 (81%) presented with displaced (Garden III and IV) fractures. Twenty-four patients (36%) met the definition of failure. These included 15 cases (22%) of non-union, seven cases (10%) of femoral neck collapse and two cases (3%) of avascular necrosis. Sixteen patients (24%) underwent conversion to total hip arthroplasty. All cases of failure occurred in patients who presented with Garden III and IV displaced fractures. Factors associated with failure included the presence of fracture comminution (p<0.001) and the increased vertical orientation of the fracture line according to the Pauwels classification (p<0.001). Neither patient age (p=0.117), time from injury to surgery (p=0.204), mechanism of injury (p=0.136), smoking (p>0.999) nor alcohol abuse (p=0.528) was associated with failure CONCLUSION: The incidence of fixation failure following surgical management of femoral neck fractures in patients younger than 65 years of age remains high. While undisplaced fractures heal readily regardless of time from injury to surgery, mechanism of injury or fixation method, displaced fractures remain a difficult problem to solve. In our series, fixation failure was observed in one in three patients, while one in four required revision to total hip arthroplasty. Level of evidence: Level 4.

Loss to follow-up poses a major problem for clinicians and researchers, and several factors that may increase its risk have been postulated. The objective of this study was to describe potential factors that contribute to loss to follow-up as seen in orthopaedic patients participating in a research study and attending the sole public orthopaedic service provider in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa (SA). All patients who underwent ankle fracture surgery at Kimberley Provincial Hospital between January 2012 and July 2013 were included, and the number of follow-up visits attended by each participant was recorded prospectively. Demographic information pertaining to travel distance, social circumstances and comorbid conditions was captured and reviewed. A total of 268 patients (male n=l 12, 41.8% and female n=156, 58.2%) were included. The mean (standard deviation (SD)) age was 42.3 (13.8) years (95% confidence interval (CI) 40.6 - 43.9, n=266) and the mean body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) was 28.0 (6.5) (95% CI 27.2 - 28.8, n=251), the BMI for females being 30.2 (6.1) (95% CI 29.3 - 31.2, n=152) compared with 24.6 (5.7) (95% CI 23.4 - 25.7, n=99) for males. After excluding local patients living within 5 km of the hospital (n=77), the mean travel distance was 460 km (range 10-910). There was a significant association between the number of follow-up visits attended and travel distance (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.999, 95% CI 0.999 - 1.000; p=0.030), BMI (IRR 0.980, 95% CI 0.966 - 0.994; p=0.004) and HIV status (IRR 0.841, 95% CI 0.725 - 0.975; p=0.022). The main factors identified in this study that influenced the number of follow-up visits attended were travel distance, BMI and HIV status. BMI was a unique finding in our study. It was identified to be a significant contributing factor to the loss to follow-up. BMI was not a contributing factor in other studies.

The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of HIV infection has been associated with a marked reduction in the incidence of most opportunistic infections. From April 2001 to February 2002, 80 blood samples from patients who were suspected to have disseminated mycobacterial infection, presenting fever and (preferably) a CD4 T cell count < 100.0 cell/mL were investigated. Twelve (15%) of the 80 blood cultures were positive for mycobacteria, with Mycobacterium avium being identified in 7 (8.8%) samples and M. tuberculosis in 5 (6.2%). The TCD4+ count at the time of M. avium bacteremia ranged from 7cells/µL (average of 48.5 cell/µL), while in M. tuberculosis bacteremia it ranged from 50.0 cells/µL (average of 80.0 cell/µL). The prevalence of M. avium bacteremia in our study follows the expected decline in opportunistic infections observed after the introduction of HAART; however, mycobacteremia by M. tuberculosis still indicates a high prevalence of tuberculosis infection in AIDS patients.