MRI signal changes are commonly found with myelopathy. The clinical significance of these signal changes in myelopathic patients remains debated. The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of the data to determine the effect of MRI signal change on pre-operative and post-operative Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores and on recovery rate following surgery. A comprehensive review of the literature was performed to identify all published studies that provided data on the presence of MRI signal change as well as JOA scores in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Data was tabulated and JOA scores were normalised to the 17-point scale. T-tests were performed to determine if there were significant differences between pre-operative and post-operative JOA scores in patients with or without MRI signal change. The recovery rate was calculated for all patients undergoing surgery. T-tests were performed to determine if significant differences occurred in recovery rate in patients with or without MRI signal change.Introduction
Methods
Comminuted radial head fractures are challenging to treat with open reduction and internal fixation. Complicating matters further, radial head fractures are often associated with other elbow fractures and soft tissue injuries. Radial head arthroplasty is a favorable technique for the treatment of radial head fractures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional outcomes of radial head arthroplasty using Modular Pyrocarbon radial head prosthesis in patients with unreconstructible radial head fractures. This single surgeon, single centre study retrospectively reviewed the functional and radiological outcomes of 21 consecutive patients requiring radial head arthroplasty for unreconstructible radial head fractures between July 2003 and July 2009. Patients were at least one year post-op and completed a Short-Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, and the Mayo Elbow Performance Index (MEPI). These patients were independently physically examined and their post-operative radiographs were independently reviewed.Background
Methods
