National Recognition and Continued Growth
U.S. News and World Report ranked our Division of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery among the top four in the country. The division’s research efforts and presence at annual meetings helped contribute to the stellar ranking. Faculty members strengthened the division’s national reputation by continuing to present findings and techniques at annual meetings of the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America (POSNA) and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). In addition, faculty enhanced its global reputation by participating in collaborations and conferences in Greece, Brazil, India and Saudi Arabia.
We welcomed new hires Sheila Chandran, MD, and Jaime Rice-Denning, MD, this year. They will certainly contribute to the continued research and clinical accomplishments of the division. Chandran specializes in all aspects of non-surgical pediatric orthopaedics, with a special interest in pediatric gait and the Ponseti technique for managing clubfoot. Rice-Denning specializes in orthopaedic trauma cases.
Motion Analysis Gait Lab Commences Operation
This past year marked the opening of the much-anticipated Motion Analysis Gait Lab. The lab is part of the Center for Advanced Technology at Cincinnati Children’s, and it offers cutting-edge technology to better evaluate and treat orthopaedic and mobility issues. The lab uses high-tech diagnostic instruments that allow doctors to determine exactly how a patient walks, how their joints move and how their muscles function. The research goal of the lab is to use outcomes data to characterize the effectiveness of current treatments while focusing on the development and implementation of innovative techniques. Over the last year, the Gait Lab had 113 patient visits, more than projected for the first year of operations.
HemiBridge Spine Clip Clinical Trial Progresses
During the past year, we enrolled five patients in the HemiBridge™ System US FDA Investigational Device Exemption clinical safety trial. The first patient completed the six-month follow-up visit, with early indications of positive results. Methods to assess implant performance are currently under study.
Preliminary results of device’s effects on spine biomechanics in an in vivo model have been published. Biomechanical effects of the device on spine motion were determined in an in vitro and a computational model. Growth inhibition predictions of the computational model were shown to correlate with previously reported histomorphometric growth plate structural patterns.
