The JBJS Quiz of the Month is a collection of 10 relevant questions from each orthopaedic subspecialty. The questions are drawn from JBJS Clinical Classroom, which houses over 4,500 questions and 3,100 learning resources. Take the Quiz to see how you score against your peers!

NOTE: This quiz does not earn users CME credits. The questions must be answered within Clinical Classroom to earn CME credits.

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QUIZ of the Month Title Image with Orthopaedic Icons

January 2025

1 / 10

Trauma

A 19-year-old male patient presents to the emergency department after falling from a third story balcony. An anteroposterior pelvic radiograph shows a pelvic ring injury displaying a paradoxical inlet view. Which of the following fixation strategies would be most appropriate?

Remediation:
A. Sacral "U" fractures are not commonly associated with sacroiliac joint injuries, so fixation of this joint is not indicated.
B. Sacral "U" fractures are commonly isolated to the posterior pelvic ring and are not likely to need fixation in the anterior ring.
C. The paradoxical inlet view is seen with forward flexion of the S1 body in the presence of a sacral "U" fracture pattern. Although minimally displaced patterns may be effectively stabilized with transiliac-transsacral screws, high-energy patterns may need fixation bridging between the intact lumbar spine and the pelvic ring.
D. Unilateral iliosacral screws may provide adequate fixation for a sacroiliac joint injury, but a sacral "U" fracture pattern needs transiliac-transsacral screw fixation or triangular osteosynthesis.

2 / 10

Sports Medicine

A 12-year-old girl who is a competitive gymnast presents with chronic right lateral elbow pain and an inability to support her full body weight on the outstretched arm. The patient is premenarchal. She competes at a high level and has participated in organized gymnastics for 11 months of each of the past 3 calendar years. Examination in full elbow flexion demonstrates non-focal tenderness along the right radiocapitellar joint and lateral condyle. There is a mechanical block to terminal extension at approximately 20° of elbow flexion with associated pain and crepitus. She guards to an attempt at passive forearm pronation-supination. Plain radiographs and magnetic resonance images are shown. The patient and her parents are prepared to halt gymnastics if necessary but would like to support her return to participation. Which of the following is the best option for definitive management for this patient that is associated with the highest chance of return to sports?

Remediation:
A. The patient has a clinical presentation and imaging consistent with an unstable capitellar osteochondritis dissecans lesion. Laterally-based lesions in particular have a negative prognosis. Reparative procedures such as drilling and microfracture may be inadequate. A diagnostic arthroscopy is reasonable as part of a resurfacing procedure.
B. Activity modification would have been a consideration earlier in the patient’s course when her presentation demonstrated a stable osteochondritis dissecans lesion, which is now unstable.  She also demonstrates single-sport specialization, which may have contributed to her pathology.
C. Osteochondral allograft transfer is an option of OCD lesion of the elbow. However, the highest return to sport is associated with using autograft transfer.  The patient is 12 years old and a high level athletes. Best chance to return to sports is using the autograft option.
D. Osteochondral autograft transfer is currently standard of care for unstable capitellar osteochondritis dissecans lesions, particularly laterally-based lesions known to have a poorer prognosis, and is associated with the highest rates of return to sport.

3 / 10

Spine

A 24-year-old male patient presents with radicular symptoms in the forearm down to the long finger and radiating around the scapula through the axilla. Symptoms have been present for 6 months. On physical examination, left wrist flexor strength is 4+/5, left triceps strength is 4+/5, and triceps reflex is 1+. Otherwise, his neurological examination is normal. The patient exhibits a Spurling maneuver. Which of the following is the level of nerve compression?

Remediation:
A. In a C3-C4 disc herniation, the C4 nerve root is affected. C4 radicular pain typically radiates to the trapezius. There is no reflex specific for this level. Sensory changes affect the skin over the trapezius.
B. In a C4-C5 disc herniation, the C5 nerve root is affected. C5 radiculopathy may cause weakness in the elbow flexion (biceps) and shoulder abduction (deltoid). The biceps reflex may be decreased. Sensory changes affect the skin over the lateral shoulder.
C. In a C5-C6 disc herniation, the C6 nerve root is affected. C6 radiculopathy may cause weakness in elbow flexion and wrist extension. The brachioradialis reflex may be decreased. Sensory changes affect the skin over the biceps, the radial forearm, and the thumb. The inverted radial reflex can be seen due to hyporeflexia at the C5-C6 level and hyperreflexia at the C6-C7 level.
D. In a C6-C7 disc herniation, the C7 nerve root is affected. C7 radiculopathy may cause weakness in wrist flexion, elbow extension, and finger extension. The triceps reflex may be decreased. Sensory changes affect the skin over the triceps, the extensor forearm, and the middle finger.
E. A C7-T1 disc herniation affects the C8 nerve root. C8 radiculopathy may cause weakness in finger abduction. There is no reflex specific for this level. Sensory changes affect the skin over the ulnar forearm and the small finger.

4 / 10

Shoulder and Elbow

In a patient with symptomatic cubital tunnel syndrome, an effective form of nonoperative treatment is night bracing with the elbow in:

Remediation:

A- D. Flexion beyond 45° will place increased tension on the ulnar nerve at the elbow and increase symptoms.

5 / 10

Pediatrics

A 13-year-old female patient presents for routine follow-up after successful pinning in situ of a unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). She has no pain on the contralateral side but reports worsening discomfort on the surgically stabilized hip. Which of the following describes the incidence of post-SFCE treatment chondrolysis?

Remediation:
A. Chondrolysis is not a common complication but is something to monitor for on subsequent follow-up imaging.
B. Chondrolysis is more likely to present on radiographs sooner.
C. While this is thought to be a risk for chondrolysis, it can occur idiopathically.
D. Chondrolysis is more common in unstabilized hips.

6 / 10

Basic Science and Pathology

A 90-year-old female patient presents to the emergency department with the diagnosis indicated on the shown anteroposterior radiograph of the hip. The patient’s admission laboratory test results shown a serum albumin level of <2.8 g/dL and a low score on the Mini Nutritional Assessment—Long Form. The patient's nutritional status, as indicated by these measurements, increases her risk for which of the following outcomes at 1 year?

7 / 10

Hand and Wrist

A 37-year-old male patient who works as a contractor underwent a zone 3 repair of the flexor digitorum superficialis and profundus in the long finger at the level of the metacarpal head 5 months ago after an accident with a grinding wheel. He is unable to fully flex the finger and notes that it gets in the way when he makes a fist because it sticks out more with grip. His clinical photographs are shown. He has tried occupational therapy, and he is supple but has not seen any improvement. Which of the following is the most appropriate definitive treatment for this patient?

Remediation:
A. The patient's examination is not consistent with capsular contracture. A capsulotomy would not address the imbalance in the forces of the flexor digitorum profundus and the lumbrical.
B. In the case of a lumbrical plus finger, a distal intrinsic release can help correct the deformity by taking away the overpull from the flexor digitorum profundus on the lumbrical.
C. The patient has already tried therapy without results. A surgical option would be more appropriate to address the mechanical cause of the lumbrical plus finger.
D. The patient's examination is not consistent with tendon adhesions. A tenolysis would not address the imbalance in the forces of the flexor digitorum profundus and the lumbrical.
E. In a lumbrical plus finger, the tension is not correct in the flexor digitorum profundus, which leads to overpull on the lumbricals. A central slip tenotomy is performed for a swan-neck deformity and would not address this patient's problem.

8 / 10

Foot and Ankle

Which of the following types of osteotomies performed for hallux valgus is most likely to result in transfer metatarsalgia due to iatrogenic first ray shortening?

Remediation:
A. An Akin osteotomy is a medial closing-wedge osteotomy of the proximal phalanx. It does not cause substantial shortening of the first ray.
B. A Wilson osteotomy is a distal, oblique metatarsal osteotomy that results in proximal and lateral displacement of the capital portion. This osteotomy routinely causes shortening of the first metatarsal and subsequent transfer metatarsalgia.
C. A Mau osteotomy is an oblique osteotomy of the first metatarsal and is oriented plantar-proximal to dorsal-distal. It is not regularly associated with substantial shortening of the first ray.
D. A crescentic osteotomy is a proximal metatarsal osteotomy that can result in dorsiflexion of the first metatarsal but is not regularly associated with substantial shortening of the first ray.

9 / 10

Knee

A 51-year-old male patient with severe right knee osteoarthritis presents to discuss nonoperative treatment options for pain relief. He has read about hyaluronic acid (HA) injections and wants to know whether this would be appropriate for him. When formulating your response to the patient, which of the following should you consider about the best available evidence on the efficacy of intra-articular HA?

Remediation:
A. The best available evidence, as noted in the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee (Non-Surgical) from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, does not support the routine use of intra-articular HA injections.
B-D. Same as A

10 / 10

Hip

According to recent registry data, which of the following is the most common reason for revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) in the United States?

Remediation:
A. According to the 2020 American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) report, the top three causes of revision THA overall were infection (19%), instability (17%), and aseptic loosening (16%).
B-D. Same as A

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