Posts by Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD
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Two Mass General Research Groups Share Resources, Lab Space and a Vision for the Future
Massachusetts General Hospital's Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Lab (FARIL) and the SORG Research Group have combined their diverse, international teams to conduct clinical research and develop medical devices and AI-based clinical decision support tools for use in the field of orthopedic surgery and beyond.
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Unilateral Chronic Ankle Injury Affects the Kinematic Parameters of the Uninjured Ankle
In the first study of its type, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers observed that the uninjured ankles in patients with unilateral chronic ankle injury have a significant tendency toward plantarflexion and inversion compared with healthy controls, showing similar alterations as the unstable contralateral side.
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Weight-bearing X-Ray Needed for Diagnosis of Subtle Lisfranc Injury
Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD, and colleagues from the Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Lab at Mass General found that, for patients with surgically confirmed Lisfranc instability, weight-bearing (WB) radiographs revealed significantly larger diastasis in the tarsometatarsal joint than non-WB radiographs.
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Weight-bearing CT Detects Subtle Syndesmotic Instability in Presence of Fibular Fracture
Rohan Bhimani, MD, MBA, Daniel Guss, MD, MBA, and colleagues in the Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital found that, even in the presence of a Weber B lateral malleolar ankle fracture, weight-bearing CT is still able to distinguish a stable from an unstable syndesmosis.
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Improving Workplace Culture for Women in Orthopedics
Arianna Gianakos, DO, a foot and ankle fellow in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, leads efforts to improve workplace culture for women in orthopedics and beyond.
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Sagittal Plane Fibular Motion More Accurate Than Coronal Plane Measurements for Detecting Syndesmotic Instability
Foot and ankle surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital determined that, during the arthroscopic evaluation of the distal tibiofibular articulation, sagittal plane fibular translation is more accurate for diagnosing syndesmotic instability than coronal plane diastasis.
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New Measurement Proposed for Detecting Syndesmotic Instability in 3D
Orthopedic surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a clinically applicable, three-dimensional method of assessing syndesmotic (high ankle) instability on weight-bearing CT (WBCT) scans that measures "percentage of change," which is easier than using a numeric scale with an absolute value.
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Updated Threshold Values Needed for Arthroscopic Diagnosis of Syndesmotic Instability
Based on a systematic review, researchers in Massachusetts General Hospital's Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Lab believe the commonly used threshold of 2.0 mm for distal tibiofibular diastasis may lead to overdiagnosis of syndesmotic instability during arthroscopy, and they suggest more evidence-based cutoffs.
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Age Appears to Be a Risk Factor for Nonunion Following Foot or Ankle Arthrodesis Surgery
Contrary to popular opinion, Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD, professor, vice chair and chief of Foot & Ankle Surgery at Mass General, and colleagues caution that patients aged 60 and older seem to have about twice the risk of nonunion after foot or ankle arthrodesis as compared to the younger adult population.
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Gastrocnemius Recession or Tendo-Achilles Lengthening Acceptable for Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity Surgery
A systematic review performed by members of the Massachusetts General Hospital Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory (FARIL) found that either gastrocnemius recession or tendo-Achilles lengthening is reasonable to include in the surgical treatment of adult acquired flatfoot deformity.
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Ultrasound Has Potential to Diagnose Subtle Syndesmotic Instability
Members of the Massachusetts General Hospital Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory have become the first to demonstrate ultrasound's abilities to evaluate the tibiofibular joint under stressed conditions and show in each individual what normal syndesmotic motion should be.
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Open Intermetatarsal Ligament Release Advocated as First Surgical Treatment of Morton's Neuroma
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers observed promising short-term results when recalcitrant Morton's neuroma was treated with simple nerve decompression, without neuroma excision.
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Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory Harnesses Weight-bearing CT Scans to Manage Instability
The Foot & Ankle Research and Innovation Laboratory (FARIL) at Massachusetts General Hospital harnesses next-generation imaging techniques to more completely assess orthopaedic foot and ankle pathology.
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Study Supports Changes to Treatment of Acute Proximal Fifth Metatarsal Fractures
Although not definitive, a systematic review showed support for treating acute tuberosity (zone 1) avulsion fractures of the 5th metatarsal conservatively, and treating all acute Jones (zone 2) fractures of the 5th metatarsal surgically.
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Tibial Stress Fracture Can Occur Years, Decades After Ankle Arthrodesis
Tibial stress fractures are rare following ankle arthrodesis, but clinicians need to maintain a high index of suspicion because—according to the largest reported series to date—they were found to occur up to 25 years after surgery.
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Weight-bearing CT Useful for Diagnosis of Subtle Syndesmotic Instability
Bilateral weight-bearing CT can distinguish between a stable and unstable distal syndesmosis. This study also emphasizes the importance for the use of the patient's contralateral, uninjured side as their own control.
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Highly Sensitive Test Identified for Arthroscopic Diagnosis of an Unstable High Ankle Sprain
When evaluating the ankle syndesmosis arthroscopically, a stress maneuver performed in the sagittal plane readily identifies an unstable syndesmosis.
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Qualitative Side-by-Side Comparison Unreliable for Evaluating Syndesmosis Reduction on CT
With CT scans increasingly used to assess the quality of syndesmotic reduction after destabilizing ankle injuries, subjective comparison of the repaired and uninjured sides to assess the quality of the reduction is unreliable. More quantitative approaches, such as syndesmotic area, result in more accurate assessments.
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After Foot and Ankle Surgery, Patients Consume Less than Half the Opioid Prescribed
In a retrospective study of patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery, the more opioid pills prescribed for postoperative pain, the more pills consumed—regardless of procedure type.
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New Mini C-Arm Technique Reduces Contamination Risk During Surgical Fluoroscopy
A novel, simple approach enhances the draping over the mini C-arm flat plate to reduce the risk of contamination when fluoroscopy is used during orthopedic surgery. A novel, simple approach enhances the draping over the mini C-arm flat plate to reduce the risk of contamination when fluoroscopy is used during orthopedic surgery.
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New Model for Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation
Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD, chief of Foot and Ankle Service, and Daniel Guss, MD, MBA, orthopaedic surgeon in the Foot and Ankle Center, discuss the innovative work of the Mass General Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Lab.
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Anticoagulation After Below-Knee Surgery Leads to Reduced Venous Thromboembolic Disease but Increased Bleeding Adverse Events
Orthopedic surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital have conducted the first retrospective study of the ratio between venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding adverse events (BAE) when thromboprophylaxis is given after below-the-knee surgery.
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Research Advances from Mass General Orthopaedics
Researchers from the Department of Orthopaedics discuss the clinical and translational work they are doing at Massachusetts General Hospital.
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Five Sessions to see at #AAOS2019
The AAOS Annual Meeting is a global exchange for orthopaedic scientists and clinicians. Specialists from Massachusetts General Hospital will present and debate leading research and innovative treatment approaches in orthopaedic care.
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New Advances in Diagnosing and Treating Syndesmosis
In this video, Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD, chief of the Foot and Ankle Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains how syndesmosis, which is an instability and ligament problem in the ankle, is often underdiagnosed and undertreated.
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Thromboembolic Event After Below-Knee Orthopedic Surgery Quadruples the Risk of Death
Among patients who undergo below-knee orthopedic surgery, symptomatic venous thromboembolism is more common than previously reported and markedly raises the short-term risk of death.
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New Advances in Diagnosing and Treating Lisfranc Injuries
In this video, Christopher W. Digiovanni, MD, chief of Foot and Ankle Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, describes how Lisfranc injuries, which affect the main arch of the foot, require operative treatments such as realigning bones and joints or fusing joints together.
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New Advances in Healing Fifth Metatarsal Injuries
In this video, Christopher W. DiGiovanni, MD, chief of the Foot and Ankle Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains how researchers are working to increase the chance and speed of healing from fifth metatarsal injuries.
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MRI Grading of Muscle Proposed as Better Way to Assess Peroneal Tendon Tears
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital suggest that instead of focusing solely on the peroneal tendons when torn, we should also focus on the muscle attached to those tendons and the degree of fatty atrophy on preoperative MRI.
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New Innovations in Managing Common Foot and Ankle Diseases (Podcast)
Foot & Ankle Service Chief Christopher DiGiovanni, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital discusses with Health Professional Radio the research and innovations he presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2018 on managing the most common foot and ankle problems and diseases.
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Novel Technique Developed for Surgical Treatment of Peroneal Tendon Dislocation
Orthopedic surgeons have developed a new technique for preserving the integrity of the fibrocartilage gliding surface and avoiding substantial anatomic disturbance during repair of perineal tendon dislocation.
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Injury to Deltoid Ligament Appears Capable of Destabilizing the Syndesmosis
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital recently became the first to use arthroscopy to study the effects of deltoid ligament (DL) injury on syndesmotic stability.
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Venous Thromboembolism Disease Prophylaxis in Foot and Ankle Surgery
There are numerous society guidelines on how to prevent venous thromboembolism disease in the hip and knee population. Is there any consensus yet for foot and ankle surgery? Massachusetts General Hospital surgeons reviewed the literature to find out.
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Navicular Fracture Increases Risk of Osteoarthritis in Elite Football Players
Massachusetts General Hospital physicians are participating in research on factors that predict performance in the NFL. Most recently, they examined how a history of navicular fracture affects the draft status and career durability of elite football players.
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Developments in Total Ankle Replacement
Tertiary care orthopedic foot and ankle specialists are pursuing innovations in total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) to promote its wider adoption.
Biography
Dr. DiGiovanni is an internationally recognized foot and ankle surgeon. He earned his BA from Dartmouth College and MD from the Brown University-Dartmouth Medical School Program. Dr. DiGiovanni completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at Brown University and several subspecialty fellowships:
- Orthopaedic Trauma, Brown Medical School
- Joint Replacement and Reconstruction, Cornell University Medical College - Hospital for Special Surgery
- Arthroscopy and Foot and Ankle Sports Medicine, Harbor-UCLA and USC Affiliated Hospitals
- Foot and Ankle Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine - Harborview Medical Center
- Foot and Ankle Travelling Fellow, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
Before MGH, Dr. DiGiovanni was a Chief of the Foot and Ankle Service at Brown Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital. He served as Program Director for Orthopaedic Residency at Brown and directed its Foot and Ankle Fellowship Program as well as the Joe DiMaggio Sports Foot and Ankle Center.
Dr. DiGiovanni has been honored numerous times as one of America's Best Doctors and Top Surgeons. He was given the Excellence in Teaching Award by his residents and the Patient's Choice Award by his patients.
Dr. DiGiovanni received the Order of Merit from the Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation for distinguished philanthropy in the advancement of orthopaedic surgery and has been a member of surgical advisory boards for several major US companies. He helped patent many foot and ankle devices which received FDA approval, and he has lectured across the world on foot and ankle topics.
Dr. DiGiovanni is a fellow of the AAOS and remains an active member of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. He enjoys active involvement with the foot and ankle care of a number of collegiate, professional and Olympic athletes.
Orthopaedic Care at Mass General
At Mass General, our world-class physicians and surgeons treat the full spectrum of musculoskeletal conditions throughout the body, from sprains and strains on the athletic field to carpal tunnel syndrome. Our team offers innovative, research-based treatments that range from limb-saving oncological procedures to complex spinal reconstruction.