Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Mentee and MS3 in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Kelly Chandler won a breakout room award at the Medical Student Orthopedic Symposium (MSOS).

Chandler presented "Bone Remodeling and Cortical Thinning Distal to the Femoral Stem: A Retrospective Review" as a visual abstract, which won her the award within the Hip and Knee Reconstruction 1 breakout room.

This study investigated bone remodeling distal to the femoral stem following total hip arthroplasty using cortical thickness index (CTI) as a measure of bone mineral density. The team of researchers found statistically significant decreases in CTI at 1cm and 3cm distal to the femoral stem at 12 months (-1.2 percent and -2.1 percent respectively) and at 1cm and 3cm distal to the stem at 18+ months (-2.6 percent and -3.4 percent respectively). 

Researchers, including Chandler, conclude their findings demonstrates that patients will experience bone loss as measured by CTI just distal to the stem in the first two years following primary total hip arthroplasty. They assert that a greater understanding of these changes will help optimize post-operative management and direct future innovations in implant design.

For this research project, Chandler worked alongside Associate Professor Sameer M. Naranje, M.D., MRCS, Orthopaedic Surgery Resident Mitchell Messner, M.D., and Former Research Fellow Roshan Jacob, M.D.

MSOS is a national research symposium for medical students pursuing orthopedics. It had over 900 attendees and 300 presentations.