Aim: Lumbar spinal stenosis is a common disease in spine surgery, especially for older patients. Internal laminoplasty technique is minimal invasive and can offer relieve from symptoms and early recovery to the patient. This method is our choice for surgical treatment in lateral spinal stenosis.

Material and Method: From 1996–2002, 48 patients (28 male-28 female) operated for lumbar spinal stenosis (central or lateral).Eighteen(18) of them in level L3-L4, twenty two(22) in level L4-L5 and eight(8) in level L5-S1 with mane age of 62 years. Their clinical condition was neurogenic claudication, radiculopathies and/or bladder dysfunction. Preoperative examination included X-rays, 3-D X-rays, CT-scan (in combination with myelography in many cases) and MRI.

Results: We used internal laminoplasty without fusion for all cases.

We had no infection or neurological complication. 44patients (91%) mentioned sufficient clinical improvement and pain relief.

Conclusions: Internal laminoplasty technique is a progress in microsurgery, which reduces iatrogenic damage and rehabilitation time, giving excellent results when it is indicated.

378 patients have been studied since 1988 when we started the investigation of scaphoid fractures and pseudarthrosis. 306 patients were scaphoid pseudarthrosis and 72 scaphoid fractures or control of fracture healing. This study consists of 3 groups:

Group l: 72 patients with acute injury of the carpus are examined radiographically and no scaphoid fracture was observed. A scaphoid cast is applied in these patients for 10 days. In follow up, the cast is removed and new comparative radiologic examination is performed. In 30 of these patients a scaphoid fracture was observed and the limb was inmmobilized in a scaphoid cast for 4 weeks. In the remaining 42 patients, in whom a fracture line could not be observed in a simple x-Ray, but continued to have clinical findings, a CT-scan was performed in 2 planes. In 26 patients with no fracture in the CT-scan were discharged, while in the remaining 16 patients with obvious fracture in the CT-scan a scaphoid cast was applied for 4 weeks.

Group 2: 30 patients with scaphoid fracture, from which the cast was removed and the fracture line was still visible in a simple X-Ray were examined with CT-scan in 2 different planes. In 18 we found intense healing of the fracture in all the width of the scaphoid and the patients were discharged . The remaining 12 displayed delayed non union with obvious fracture line in all the width of the scaphoid. These patients were treated operatively, by compressing the fracture line with a Herbert screw.

Group 3: This is the largest group of patients concerning the scaphoid pseudarthrosis and consists a topic of a different study. In conclusion the computer tomography scan in two different planes is the most reliable method for the investigation not only of scaphoid fractures but also of the efficiency of the callus. The contribution of the above method in the study of the scaphoid pdeudarhrosis is very important and valuable.

Humeral shaft fractures are among the most frequent fractures encountered in Orthopaedic Traumatology. Their treatment can be either conservative or operative depending on the location (proximal, middle or distal third), type (spiral, oblique, or transverse), radial nerve involvement, concomitant presence of thoracic injuries that preclude general anesthesia, as well as surgeon’s experience. Non union or delayed union complicates some of the conservatively and very few of the operatively treated fractures.

We report of our experience with the management of humeral shaft non unions in 28 patients treated at our institution from 1990 to 2000. Six were male and twelve female aging from 21 to 68 years (mean 45 years).The interval between initial injury and operation varied from 6 months to 3 years (average 10 months).Regarding the location of non union,20 cases were located in the middle, 6 cases in the upper and 2 cases in the distal third.

Operative technique: under general anesthesia using anterolateral approach for middle and distal third and deltopectoral approach for proximal third , the site of pseudarthrosis was exposed. In transverse and slightly oblique fractures a self compression plate was implanted without resection of pseudarthrosis or excessive soft tissue detachment .In spiral and true oblique fractures reduction performed initially, maintained with k-wires and fixated with self compression plate. Upon completion of osteosynthesis suction drain was put ,followed by wound closure and elastic bandage.

Postoperatively a colar cuff was used for 2 weeks .Follow up examination with radiographic evaluation was done after 3 and 6 months.

Signs of incomplete callus formation were obtained after 3 months whereas solid union was achieved after 6 months in all patients without any serious complication.