Armin Klein
Armin Klein (1892–1954) was an American orthopaedic surgeon
Klein’s work focused on paediatric orthopaedics and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) and scoliosis. Educated at Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, he trained in orthopaedic surgery at Boston City Hospital before joining the orthopaedic staff of Massachusetts General Hospital. He later became Chief of the Orthopaedic Service at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, an Instructor at Harvard Medical School and Clinical Professor at Tufts College Medical School.
Early in his career Klein worked with Robert B. Osgood (1873–1956) on scoliosis and chaired a US Department of Labor committee investigating the disorder. His later work centred on SCFE, for which his clinical and radiographic studies made an impact on early diagnosis and treatment. He is eponymously remembered for the Klein line which arose from this work.
Biographical Timeline
- Born on August 24, 1892 in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
- 1914 – Graduated AB from Harvard College.
- 1917 – Graduated MD from Harvard Medical School.
- 1917–1918 – House Officer at Boston City Hospital. Enlisted in the US Army Medical Department during the First World War, commissioned First Lieutenant, Medical Corps. Posted to the Medical Officers’ Training Camp at Camp Greenleaf, Georgia and later transferred as orthopaedic surgeon to Camp Hancock, Georgia
- 1919 – Assigned to General Hospital No. 3, Colonia, New Jersey and discharged from military service. Continued his orthopaedic career in Boston, joining the staff of Massachusetts General Hospital and later becoming Chief of Orthopaedics at Beth Israel Hospital.
- 1926 – Chairman of the United States Department of Labor Committee for Investigation and Research on Scoliosis.
- 1940s-1950s – Appointed Chief of the Orthopaedic Service at the new Beth Israel Hospital, Boston. He continued as a visiting surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital. Instructor at Harvard Medical School and Clinical Professor at Tufts College Medical School.
- 1948 – Published further work with Joplin and Reidy on the treatment of SCFE, emphasising recognition and appropriate fixation according to the severity of displacement.
- 1951 – Presented his work on early diagnosis of SCFE to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
- 1952 – With Joplin, Reidy and Joseph Hanelin, published the landmark study on early diagnosis of slipped capital femoral epiphysis using apparently normal radiographs. The radiographic tangent subsequently became known as Klein line.
- 1954 – Suffered a myocardial infarction several months before his death. When advised to slow down he reportedly replied: “I shall cooperate in every way, but I will not reduce my work.”
- Died April 3, 1954 suddenly at his home, aged 61.
Medical Eponyms
Klein line (1952)
Klein line is a radiographic reference used on the AP pelvis or hip radiograph to aid the diagnosis of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). It is drawn by extending the straight superior cortical margin of the femoral neck proximally. In the normal growing hip the line transects part of the lateral capital epiphysis. With SCFE it may intersect less of the epiphysis than expected or, with greater displacement, fail to intersect it altogether.
Klein developed the method with Robert J. Joplin, John A. Reidy and Joseph Hanelin during a series of radiographic studies of SCFE between 1950 and 1953. Their work evaluated comparison with normal developmental anatomy, bilateral AP and lateral radiographs, and recognition of subtle early slipping rather than reliance on a single binary sign.
Major Publications
- Klein A. Posture clinics: Organization and excercises. 1926
- Klein A. Thomas LC. Posture exercises: a handbook for schools and for teachers of physical education. 1926
- Klein A, Joplin RJ, Reidy JA. Treatment in cases of slipped capital femoral epiphysis at Massachusetts General Hospital. Arch. Surg., 1943, 46, 681-686.
- Klein A, Joplin RJ, et al. Roentgenographic changes in nailed slipped capital femoral epiphysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1949 Jan;31A(1):1-22.
- Klein A, Joplin RJ, Reidy JA, Hanelin J. Roentgenographic features of slipped capital femoral epiphysis. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther. 1951 Sep;66(3):361-74
- Klein A, Joplin RJ, Reidy JA, Hanelin J. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis; early diagnosis and treatment facilitated by normal roentgenograms. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1952 Jan;34-A(1):233-9.
- Klein A, Joplin RJ, Reidy JA, Hanelin J. Management of the contralateral hip in slipped capital femoral epiphysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1953 Jan;35-A(1):81-7.
- Klein A, Joplin RJ, Reidy JA, Hanelin J. Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis. 1953
References
Biography
- Armin Klein 1892-1954. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 1954; 36(4): 886-887
Eponymous terms
- Campbell SE. Radiography of the hip: lines, signs, and patterns of disease. Semin Roentgenol. 2005 Jul;40(3):290-319.
- Yeap PM, Budak MJ. The pelvic radiograph: lines, arcs and stripes. Singapore Med J. 2021 Jul;62(7):333-340.
- Bi AS, Carter C, Price AE, Litrenta J, Karamitopoulos M, Castañeda PG. A history of eponym usage in hip and pelvis radiography part 1: the paediatric hip. Hip Int. 2023 Mar;33(2):136-143.
- Bi AS, Ryan MK, Castañeda PG, Youm T. A history of eponym usage in hip and pelvis radiography part 2: the adult hip. Hip Int. 2023 Mar;33(2):144-151
Eponym
the person behind the name
BA MA (Oxon) MBChB (Edin) FACEM FFSEM. Emergency physician, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Passion for rugby; medical history; medical education; and asynchronous learning #FOAMed evangelist. Co-founder and CTO of Life in the Fast lane | On Call: Principles and Protocol 4e| Eponyms | Books |