Are eponyms used correctly or not? A literature review with a focus on shoulder and elbow surgery

Increasing consensus on terminology of Achilles tendon-related disorders

PURPOSE

Aims of this study are to evaluate the current terminology and assess the influence of the latest proposals on the terminology used for Achilles tendon-related disorders in both daily practice and literature.

METHODS

(1) All orthopedic surgeons experienced in the field of foot and ankle surgery of the Ankleplatform Study Group were invited to participate in this survey by email. They were requested to fill out a survey on terminology in six typical cases with Achilles tendon-related disorders. (2) A systematic literature search of Achilles tendon-related disorders was performed in eight foot and ankle journals in Medline, Embase (Classic) from 2000 to 2016. All extracted terms were counted and compared to the terminology proposals, based on anatomic location, symptoms, clinical findings and histopathology.

RESULTS

(1) In total, 141 of the 283 (50%) orthopedic surgeons responded to the survey. In five out of six cases with Achilles tendon-related disorders, the majority gave an answer according to latest proposals. (2) An overview of terminology used for Achilles tendon-related disorders from 2000 to 2016 shows an increase in use of terminology according to the latest proposals based on anatomic location, symptoms, clinical findings and histopathology.

CONCLUSION

The revised terminology for Achilles tendon-related disorders based on anatomic location, symptoms, clinical findings and histopathology is used by the majority of orthopedic surgeons and is increasingly used in the literature. However, the indistinct Haglund eponyms are still frequently used in Achilles tendon-related terminology.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

Fracture-dislocations of the forearm joint: a systematic review of the literature and a comprehensive locker-based classification system

BACKGROUND

Monteggia, Galeazzi, and Essex-Lopresti injuries are the most common types of fracture-dislocation of the forearm. Uncommon variants and rare traumatic patterns of forearm fracture-dislocations have sometimes been reported in literature. In this study we systematically review the literature to identify and classify all cases of forearm joint injury pattern according to the forearm joint and three-locker concepts.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of the PubMed database was performed based on major pathological conditions involving fracture-dislocation of the forearm. Essex-Lopresti injury, Monteggia and Galeazzi fracture-dislocations, and proximal and/or distal radioulnar joint dislocations were sought. After article retrieval, the types of forearm lesion were classified using the following numerical algorithm: proximal forearm joint 1 [including proximal radioulnar joint (PRUJ) dislocation with or without radial head fractures], middle radioulnar joint 2, if concomitant radial fracture R, if concomitant interosseous membrane rupture I, if concomitant ulnar fracture U, and distal radioulnar joint 3 [including distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) dislocation with or without distal radial fractures].

RESULTS

Eighty hundred eighty-four articles were identified through PubMed, and after bibliographic research, duplication removal, and study screening, 462 articles were selected. According to exclusion criteria, 44 full-text articles describing atypical forearm fracture-dislocation were included. Three historical reviews were added separately to the process. We detected rare patterns of two-locker injuries, sometimes referred to using improper terms of variant or equivalent types of Monteggia and Galeazzi injuries. Furthermore, we identified a group of three-locker injuries, other than Essex-Lopresti, associated with ulnar and/or radial shaft fracture causing longitudinal instability. In addition to fracture-dislocations commonly referred to using historical eponyms (Monteggia, Galeazzi, and Essex-Lopresti), our classification system, to the best of the authors' knowledge, allowed us to include all types of dislocation and fracture-dislocation of the forearm joint reported in literature. According to this classification, and similarly to that of the elbow, we could distinguish between simple dislocations and complex dislocations (fracture-dislocations) of the forearm joint.

CONCLUSIONS

All injury patterns may be previously identified using an alphanumeric code. This might avoid confusion in forearm fracture-dislocations nomenclature and help surgeons with detection of lesions, guiding surgical treatment.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

V.

Interpretations of the Term "Watershed Line" Used as Reference for Volar Plating

Objective  The objective of this systematic review is to provide an overview of all interpretations of the definition of the watershed line used in literature. Methods  The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed for this review. A comprehensive search was performed for definitions of the watershed line given in literature. A total of 32 studies giving an explicit interpretation of the definition of the watershed line or anatomical reference for plate positioning in writing and/or imaging were included. Results  In 32 studies, we found eight different landmarks used to refer to the watershed line or correct plate positioning. Five studies used two different soft tissue landmarks. Six different bony landmarks were described in 24 studies. These could further be subdivided into three anatomical interpretations, described in seven studies, in which the term "watershed line" is explained as a distinguishable anatomical line, and two surgical interpretations, described in 15 studies, which are purely reflecting the optimal location of the volar plate. One interpretation of the watershed line described in two studies combined both anatomical and surgical landmarks. Conclusion  The (mis)interpretation of the definition of the term "watershed line" as described by Orbay is subject to the type of landmarks and purpose used: soft tissue or bony landmarks and an anatomical or a surgical purpose. A clear distinction can be made between interpretations using bony landmarks, as the true watershed line is defined and definitions using soft tissue landmarks, which might represent the reference points surgeons use in clinical practice.

Common Upper Extremity Fracture Eponyms: A Look Into What They Really Mean

Eponyms, whereas commonly used in hand surgery, are perhaps misused as often as they are used correctly. Many commonly used eponyms, such as Colles fracture, Barton fracture, Smith fracture, and Bennett fracture, were actually described decades before the development of radiographs. The goal of this article is to revisit the original descriptions of commonly used eponymous terms for distal radius and first metacarpal base fractures to provide clarity and enhance understanding of what these eponyms actually mean.

Eponymous terms in anterior shoulder stabilization surgery

Shoulder dislocation and its treatment are probably as old as time. Surgical treatment has gained acceptance recently, especially in recurrent cases. Within roughly the last 100years, numerous treatment strategies have been developed and questions elucidated regarding the entity of shoulder instability. Shoulder instability holds many eponymous terms. By means of literature and historical research, we present the biographical background of some common eponymous terms and the original publication on which those terms are based. We describe the Perthes lesion, Bankart lesion and repair, Hill-Sachs lesion, Bristow-Latarjet procedure and Eden-Hybbinette procedure. Shoulder instability has been recognized and treated for many centuries. Before the invention of X-rays and the ability to intervene surgically, empirical reduction and time were the only feasible treatment options. Understanding of the pathophysiology of this problem and its corresponding treatment has kept increasing since the 19th century. The originators involved still have their name attached to the different signs and procedures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

The Reliability of Orthopaedic Eponymous Terms

BACKGROUND

There are approximately 20,000 medical eponymous terms in use today. Familiar eponymous terms serve as shorthand during communication with colleagues. This study tested the reliability of the everyday use of common orthopaedic eponymous terms.

METHODS

Using an online survey, 224 orthopaedic surgeons were quizzed on common eponymous terms. The correspondence of each eponymous term with its original description (termed appropriate use) was calculated with 95% confidence intervals. We measured the reliability of the use of eponymous terms using the kappa statistic and the proportion of agreement.

RESULTS

The percentage of appropriate use averaged 45% (ranging from 27% [for the Barton fracture eponymous term] to 75% [for the Sever's disease eponymous term]), with greater misuse among European surgeons. The reliability of the use of eponymous terms was low (kappa, 0.11; proportion of agreement, 68%). The support for using eponymous terms in daily practice was significantly lower among surgeons practicing in North America (63%) than among their colleagues in Europe and South America (80%; p < 0.001). Eponymous terms were used more often than anatomical descriptions or classifications.

CONCLUSIONS

Using eponymous terms is an inaccurate and unreliable method of communication. Descriptive terms are preferable to eponymous terms.

Eponymous terms in daily practice: a survey among Dutch orthopedic surgeons

INTRODUCTION

With a survey among Dutch orthopedic surgeons, we try to assess whether eponymous terms are still in use in daily practice. We also tried to find out whether younger generations tend to use them less than our older colleagues.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In a survey consisting of 57 eponymous terms, 67 participants were asked to mark the eponyms they knew and whether they used them in daily practice.

RESULTS

No correlation was observed in known/used eponyms or years of experience in 58 completed surveys. Respondents who classified themselves as trauma or general orthopedic surgeons knew or used a significantly higher number of eponyms in daily practice than orthopedic surgeons who classified themselves as spine, upper limb, lower limb, sports or pediatric surgeons.

DISCUSSION

Eponymous terms are used frequently in daily practice. Super-specialization might eradicate the general orthopedic surgeon, and the number of eponyms known and used might become smaller and more focused on the super-specialty.

CONCLUSION

Our survey showed that eponymous terms are still used frequently in daily practice among both young and more senior orthopedic surgeons in The Netherlands.

The origins and current applications of classic eponymous terms for pelvic and acetabular fractures: A historic review

We present the historical background of 5 eponymous terms in pelvic and acetabular injury treatment. The eponymous terms Duverney fracture, Malgaigne fracture, Judet-Letournel classification, Kocher-Langenbeck approach and Stoppa approach are discussed. After presenting the original description by the coining author, a short biography of the author is given. For each eponymous term the current clinical implication is given and discussed afterwards.