Rocco Papalia

Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma | unicampus · Orthopaedics and Traumatology Unit

Background: Our study aims to assess the feasibility and the reproducibility of fluorescent confocal microscopy (FCM) real-time assessment of urethral and ureteral margins during open radical cystectomy (ORC) for bladder cancer (BCa). Methods: From May 2020 to January 2022, 46 patients underwent ORC with intraoperative FCM evaluation. Each specimen...

This study describes the trends of elbow arthroscopy in Italy and other countries in order to evaluate the yearly rates of EA. Its purpose is for future epidemiological studies to be able to compare their data between countries in order to understand the reasons for the increasing and decreasing trends. Data for this study were obtained from Nation...

Insufficiently treated shoulder pain may cause mental disturbances, including depression and anxiety. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) that aims to identify depression and anxiety in patients in nonpsychiatric wards. The aim of this study was to identify the minimum clinically important d...

The most common induction methods for OA are mechanical, surgical and chemical. However, there is not a gold standard in the choice of OA animal models, as different animals and induction methods are helpful in different contexts. Reporting the latest evidence and results in the literature could help researchers worldwide to define the most appropr...

Background: The aim of our study was to develop a radiomic tool for the prediction of clinically significant prostate cancer. Methods: From September 2020 to December 2021, 91 patients who underwent magnetic resonance imaging prostate fusion biopsy at our institution were selected. Prostate cancer aggressiveness was assessed by combining the thr...

Background The appropriate surgical treatment option for young and active patients undergoing shoulder arthroplasty for arthritis remains questionable. Pyrolitic carbon (pyrocarbon) has been shown to improve implant longevity and decrease wear when in contact with cartilage or bone. The present systematic review aimed to evaluate clinical and radio...

The role of nutrition intervention in surgical settings is constantly developing and evolving. Immunonutrition represents a viable option to reduce perioperative and postoperative complications in surgical oncology. However, as far as we know, little research has been conducted in the orthopedic field. With this review, we aim to summarize the stat...

Introduction: Adipose tissue is widely exploited in regenerative medicine thanks to its trophic properties, mainly based on the presence of adipose-derived stromal cells. Numerous devices have been developed to promote its clinical use, leading to the introduction of one-step surgical procedures to obtain minimally manipulated adipose tissue deriva...

Background Autologous hamstrings and patellar tendon have historically been considered the gold standard grafts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). In the last decades, the utilization of synthetic grafts has re-emerged due to advantageous lack of donor site morbidity and more rapid return to sport. The Ligament Augmentation and R...

Background: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an orthopaedic procedure that improves the quality of life in patients suffering from hip pain related to osteoarthritis, fractures, and avascular osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Different surgical approaches can be used for THA leading to different recovery times. Because of the lowering medium age o...

Vertebral Fractures (VFs) caused by osteoporosis are the most typical reason for performing Percutaneous Kyphoplasty (PK). Globally, VF prevalence is not well described in the literature. In Europe, only Sweden has an accurate record of the incidence of this type of fracture. Moreover, the exact incidence of the PK procedure is not reported. Theref...

Background Available data on medical treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) support the use of more than one therapy line to delay chemotherapy. We evaluate in a longitudinal real life multicenter cohort, the oncological outcome of mCRPC patients treated with Abiraterone Acetate (AA) and Enzalutamide (EZ) in a chemo-na...

Study design Systematic review. Objective To investigate the efficacy of nonsurgical interventional treatments for chronic low back pain (LBP) caused by facet joint syndrome (FJS). Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify studies that compared interventional treatments for LBP due to FJS among them, with usual care...

The aim of this systematic review is to determine the effectiveness on functional and pain outcomes of different exercise protocols as a conservative treatment for massive, irreparable rotator cuff tears in elderly patients. A literature search was carried out consulting Pubmed -Medline, Cochrane central and Scopus to select randomized clinical tri...

Study design Systematic Review. Objectives The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of non-invasive procedures in relieving chronic pain due to Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS). Methods Since patients who suffered from FBBS are often non-responders to analgesics, we compared Visual Analogical Scale for low back and leg pai...

Background: The 2015 Lancet Commission on global surgery identified surgery and anaesthesia as indispensable parts of holistic health-care systems. However, COVID-19 exposed the fragility of planned surgical services around the world, which have also been neglected in pandemic recovery planning. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel inde...

Aim: To assess urologists’ proficiency in the interpretation of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI). Materials and Methods: Twelve mpMRIs were shown to 73 urologists from seven Italian institutions. Responders were asked to identify the site of the suspicious nodule (SN) but not to assign a PIRADS score. We set an a priori cut-off of...

In the pediatric population, meniscectomy should be exceptional. This study aimed to estimate the incidence and trends of hospitalization of pediatric meniscectomy in Italy. Data were collected from the National Hospital Discharge Reports (SDO) reported at the Italian Ministry of Health. This study referred to the pediatric population (0–14 years o...

Background Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the amount of primary total hip arthroscopies (THA) which in turn has increased the need for THA revision surgeries. The purpose of this study was to quantify the increase in THA revision in Italy, evaluate the causes and types of THA procedures performed. Methods The data regardi...

Background: Recently, the European Association of Urology Guidelines Panel updated the prognostic factor risk groups model for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with the introduction of a new group of patients at Very high risk (VHR). Furthermore, three additional clinical risk factors (i.e., age > 70 years, multiple papillary tumors; tum...

Background Shoulder replacement (SR) constitutes the gold standard treatment for severe shoulder diseases, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, complex fractures, avascular necrosis and rotator cuff arthropathy. Although several countries have national registries, there is a lack of epidemiological data on SR. Sharing national statistics...

Study design: In vitro study. Objective: To investigate the effect of irisin on human nucleus pulposus cells (hNPCs) in vitro. Summary of background data: Physical exercise (PE) favours weight loss and ameliorates function in patients with low back pain. Although there is no biologic evidence that the intervertebral disc (IVD) can respond to P...

Background: Recently a possible link between elevated Chromogranin A (CgA) levels and poorly differentiated prostate cancer has been proposed. The aim of our study was to explore the association of CgA levels and the risk of poorly differentiated prostate cancer (PCa) in men undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). Materials and methods...

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a discipline at the intersection between Computer Science (CS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Linguistics that leverages unstructured human-interpretable (natural) language text. In recent years, it gained momentum also in health-related applications and research. Although preliminary, studies concerning Low...

Introduction Seventy-five percent of bladder cancers are non-muscle invasive. The treatment strategy includes the transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURB) followed by intravesical immunotherapy with the bacillus of Calmette-Guerin (BCG) or chemotherapy, depending on the grade of bladder tumor. Despite a proper BCG intravesical instillations...

Resumen Objetivo Evaluar la precisión diagnóstica de la resonancia magnética multiparamétrica (RMmp) en la detección de la recidiva local del cáncer de próstata (CaP) después de la prostatectomía radical (PR) y antes de la radioterapia (RT). Materiales y métodos Un total de 188 pacientes se sometieron a una RMmp de 1,5 T después de la PR y antes...

Purpose Assess multiparametric-MRI (mp-MRI) diagnostic accuracy in the detection of local recurrence of Prostate Cancer (PCa) after Radical Prostatectomy (PR) and before Radiation Therapy (RT). Materials and methods A total of 188 patients underwent 1.5-T mp-MRI after RP before RT. Patients were divided into two groups: with biochemical recurrence...

Low Back Pain (LBP) is currently the first cause of disability in the world, with a significant socioeconomic burden. Diagnosis and treatment of LBP often involve a multidisciplinary, individualized approach consisting of several outcome measures and imaging data along with emerging technologies. The increased amount of data generated in this proce...

Invasive intraneural electrodes can control advanced neural-interfaced prostheses in human amputees. Nevertheless, in chronic implants, the progressive formation of a fibrotic capsule can gradually isolate the electrode surface from the surrounding tissue leading to loss of functionality. This is due to a nonspecific inflammatory response called fo...

Background The epidemiology of Pediatric Hip Arthroplasty (PHA) is unclear. Prevalence of PHA in Europe was reported in Scandinavian registries, but data on this procedure are not described in other countries. Therefore, it is challenging to redact a complete and valid epidemiological report on PHA in Europe. Nevertheless, national health statistic...

This systematic review of the literature aimed to highlight which criteria are described in the literature to define when a patient, after rotator cuff repair (RCR), is ready for return-to-play (RTP), which includes return to unrestricted activities, return to work, leisure, and sport activities. An online systematic search on the US National Libra...

In March 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the COVID-19 pandemic as a global issue. To reduce the spread of this disease, health safety pathways were implemented worldwide. These extraordinary measures changed people’s lifestyles, e.g., by being forced to isolate, and in many cases, to work remotely from home. Low back pain (LBP)...

In countries with a high average population age, total knee arthroplasty is still carried out in an inpatient setting. The roadmap to performing major surgery on an outpatient basis passes through the understanding of those perioperative features that correlate with higher lengths of hospital stay (LOS). A retrospective database of 1200 patients wa...

Background: A systemic inflammatory marker, the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS), could predict outcomes in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NIMBC). We aimed to investigate the predictive power of mGPS in oncological outcomes in HG/G3 T1 NMIBC patients undergoing Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy. Methods: We retrospectively revi...

The primary aim of this systematic review is to evaluate how postural balance and visual system are related in cross-eyed patients. The secondary goal is to assess the benefits of eye realignment on motor skills and body balance. Analyzing two different approaches: surgical or conservative, a systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed-...

Risk prevention of sports-related lower limb musculoskeletal injuries in adult and youth athletes is an important topic encompassing health and economic factors. For example, muscle injuries in professional football players could expose these athletes to recurrence, creating a significant economic problem for the football club. Such observations ha...

Introduction: Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) aims to restore vertebral shape and kyphotic spine angulation, reduce pain, and allow the patient early mobilization. Compared with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV), PKP has been reported to reduce cement leakage, increase short-term pain relief, and improve kyphotic angle restoration. In addition, PKP h...

Background Flatfoot is a common condition in young patients, but usually resolves by adolescence. This study aimed to estimate annual trend hospitalizations for flatfoot in Italian paediatric population from 2001 to 2016. Methods Data of this study were collected from the National Hospital Discharge Reports (SDO) reported at the Italian Ministry o...

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, with a significant socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems. It is mainly caused by degenerative disc disease (DDD), a progressive, chronic, and age-related process. With its capacity to accurately characterize intervertebral disc (IVD) and spinal morphology, magnetic reson...

Introduction: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide an updated comparison between the currently available minimally invasive approaches (PCNL, laparoscopic [LP] and robotic pyelolithotomy [RP]) for the management of large renal stones. Evidence acquisition: An electronic search of the current literature was conducted...

Field hockey is played worldwide by men and women at a recreational and professional level. It is listed among Olympic sport games and 132 national associations for field hockey exist. Similar to the most popular sports, professionals have high requirements in terms of aerobic threshold, muscular strength, and endurance. In regular tournaments, pla...

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the most common cause of disability worldwide, affecting about 12% to 30% of the adult population. Psychological factors play an important role in the experience of pain, and may be predictive of pain persistence, disability, and long-term sick leave. The aim of this meta-analysis was to identify and to describe the...

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyze the effects of workplace interventions (WI) on clinical outcomes related to low back pain (LBP) in a worker population, and to assess socio-economic parameters as participants on sick leave, days of sick leave, and return to work following WI. A systematic literature search was performed to...

Overweight represents a major issue in contemporary orthopaedic practice. A higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increase of perioperative complications following several orthopaedic procedures, in particular total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, the influence of overweight on THA surgical time is controversial. In this study, we inv...

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most frequent symptoms associated with intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) and affects more than 80% of the population, with strong psychosocial and economic impacts. The main cause of IDD is a reduction in the proteoglycan content within the nucleus pulposus (NP), eventually leading to the loss of disc hydratio...

Sport participation and exercise practice are considered to be beneficial for mental status, yielding an improved mood and better quality of life. On the other hand, good mental fitness is thought to lead to better physical status and sport performance. The key aim of this narrative review is to provide an unstructured overview on the topic with sp...

The first purpose of this study was to verify the association between Instability Severity Index Score (ISIS) and Recurrent Shoulder Dislocation (RSD) after a first episode treated conservatively. The second aim is to identify the risk factors associated with RSD after a primary acute shoulder anterior dislocation treated conservatively. A total of...

The aim of this retrospective investigation is to evaluate the correlation between several preoperative and perioperative factors and the length of hospital stay in patients that underwent elective total hip arthroplasty with overnight admission. Medical records of patients that underwent THA from the beginning of 2016 to the end of 2018 were retro...

Background: To investigate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the diagnosis and treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using an Italian multi-institutional database of TURBT patients with high-risk urothelial NMIBC between January 2019 and February 2021, followed by Re-TURBT and/or a...

Chronic Low Back Pain (LBP) is a symptom that may be caused by several diseases, and it is currently the leading cause of disability worldwide. The increased amount of digital images in orthopaedics has led to the development of methods related to artificial intelligence, and to computer vision in particular, which aim to improve diagnosis and trea...