Objectives:. To gain an understanding of the current issues surrounding falls prevention across Europe and to embrace at national and international level, the different political and health service agendas in each country such that recommendations can ultimately be translated into working models of practice in each country. To establish a robust network of key members across Europe to facilitate the effective and efficient promulgation of evidence likely to influence service developments at national and local level. To derive a consensus approach to assessment and management of older people at risk of falling in a variety of clinical settings using the existing evidence base as well as experts in the field. To ultimately facilitate a pan-European approach to assessment and management of falls whilst minimising impact on clinical autonomy and paving the way for further research activity within member states. Description of work: This work package focuses on the development of a consensus approach to the assessment and management of falls in older people across Europe. Fundamental to this process is the development of a clear understanding of how services across Europe are currently configured and what the national and international drivers for change might be over the next 5–10yrs. The ultimate aim is to be able to facilitate the development of a set of comparable assessment and outcome measures to be used in a large randomised controlled trial with fracture as the primary outcome measure. Year 1. Whilst undertaking the networking exercise in year 1, members had the opportunity to visit key individuals in European countries and anticipate the potential opportunities and constraints of developing and delivering falls services in a co-ordinated and comprehensive fashion. Year 2 focuses on the development of assessment tools, which can be tailored so as to be applied in a variety of clinical settings from community based assessment to the highly specialised investigation units. The work package links closely with other work packages on balance and gait and psychology to ensure consensus in recommendations. In addition to the recommendations for
A new cosmetic weight-relieving brace which utilises stainless steel and light alloy in its structure is described. A
Few previous studies showed that the conventional total knee replacement (TKR) has affection to the same side of talar tilt (TT). We expected to prevent this problem by the computer-assisted (CAS) TKR. The purpose of this study was to compare between pre and post-operative talar tilt and ankle
The development of spinal deformity in children with underlying neurodisability can affect their ability to function and impact on their quality of life, as well as compromise provision of nursing care. Patients with neuromuscular spinal deformity are among the most challenging due to the number and complexity of medical comorbidities that increase the risk for severe intraoperative or postoperative complications. A multidisciplinary approach is mandatory at every stage to ensure that all nonoperative measures have been applied, and that the treatment goals have been clearly defined and agreed with the family. This will involve input from multiple specialities, including allied healthcare professionals, such as physiotherapists and wheelchair services. Surgery should be considered when there is significant impact on the patients’ quality of life, which is usually due to poor sitting balance, back or costo-pelvic pain, respiratory complications, or problems with self-care and feeding. Meticulous preoperative assessment is required, along with careful consideration of the nature of the deformity and the problems that it is causing. Surgery can achieve good curve correction and results in high levels of satisfaction from the patients and their caregivers. Modern modular posterior instrumentation systems allow an effective deformity correction. However, the risks of surgery remain high, and involvement of the family at all stages of decision-making is required in order to balance the risks and anticipated gains of the procedure, and to select those patients who can mostly benefit from spinal correction.
Instrumented fusion for lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (LDS) has been challenged recently with high impact trials demonstrating similar changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and less morbidity/cost with laminectomy alone. Randomized trials often fail, however, to evaluate a heterogeneous population of patients. A standardized
Purpose: The diagnosis and treatment of superior labral antero posterior (SLAP) lesions is a controversial subject in shoulder pathology. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the strength of association between
Aim: This study was designed to investigate the association between
Knee dislocations are a rare but serious cause of trauma. The aim of this study was to establish current demographics and injury patterns/associations in multi-ligament (MLI) knee injuries in the United Kingdom. A National survey was sent out to trauma & orthopaedic trainees using the British Orthopaedic Trainees Association sources in 2018. Contributors were asked to retrospectively collect a data for a minimum of 5 cases of knee dislocation, or multi-ligament knee injury, between January 2014 and December 2016. Data was collected regarding injury patterns and surgical reconstructions. 73 cases were available for analysis across 11 acute care NHS Trusts. 77% were male. Mean age was 31.9 (SD 12.4; range 16–69). Mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 28.3 (SD 7.0; range 19–52). Early (<3 weeks) reconstruction was performed in 53% with 9 (23%) patients under-going procedures for arthrofibrosis. Late (>12 weeks) reconstruction took place in 37% with one (3.7%) patient under-going arthroscopic arthrolysis. 4% had delayed surgery (3–12 weeks) and 5% had early intervention with delayed ACL reconstruction. For injuries involving 3 or more ligament injuries graft choices were ipsilateral hamstring (38%), bone-patella tendon-bone (20%), allograft (20%), contralateral hamstring (17%) and synthetic grafts in 18%. Multi-ligament knee injuries are increasingly being managed early with definitive reconstructions. This is despite significant risk of arthrofibrosis with early surgery. Ipsilateral and contralateral hamstring grafts make up the bulk of graft choice however allograft (20%) and synthetic grafts (18%) remain popular.
Postoperatively a final diagnose was made based on microbiological testing, which in addition to routine culture, included sonication of the prosthesis and nucleic acid based diagnostics (PCR). Data from the preoperative examination was evaluated in relation to the final diagnose (chi-square test and Student’s t-test), and the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing a septic loosening was calculated for each preoperative finding.
Hip rotation in extension and flexion was studied in 23 patients with idiopathic intoeing gait. In extension all the hips had markedly increased medial rotation and limited lateral rotation, fulfilling the criteria of excessive femoral anteversion. In flexion, however, rotation varied widely; in one group of patients medial rotation remained greater than lateral, but in the second group lateral rotation was equal to or greater than medial. CT scans showed that the hips in the first group were significantly more anteverted than those in the second. Clearly measurement of hip rotation in extension alone does not provide a dependable indication of femoral anteversion in children with intoeing gait; rotation in flexion also needs to be measured.
In an unselected series of 55 cases of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) we observed an incidence of 25% of epiphyseal reduction, mostly unintentional. Reduction indicated physeal instability and was associated with an effusion, detected by sonography on admission, and inability to bear weight. The true prevalence of instability may be higher since an effusion was noted in 33 cases (60%) on the initial sonographic assessment. Serial radiographs showed reduction in 12 (22%), with an average change of 15.1 degrees in the head-neck angle. Serial sonography showed reduction in 7 out of 20 cases (35%), with an average change of 3.7 mm in displacement. In two cases reduction was seen on sonography but not on radiography. Of the hips which showed subsequent reduction, 12 had had a bone scan on admission; three showed initial epiphyseal avascularity but only one progressed to symptomatic avascular necrosis. All stable hips had normal epiphyseal vascularity on the initial bone scan. This indicates the importance of injury from the initial displacement in causing avascular necrosis, rather than effusion, vascular compromise or iatrogenic injury from gentle repositioning. Physeal instability in SCFE is common and should be assessed clinically on admission. It is indicated by joint effusion or inability to bear weight. A slip is very unlikely to be unstable in a child able to bear weight and with no sonographic effusion.
A randomised prospective study of 4 bearing surfaces in hip replacements is being conducted. The primary objective is to identify the best long term bearing surface clinically and radiographically, and metal ion levels have been measured in all cases. Patieents have been randomised to the 4 bearing surfaces viz. Ceramic on XLinked Poly, Ceramic on Ceramic, Metal on Metal and Ceramic on Metal. Pre operative blood samples and follow up blood samples for metal ion analysis using the ICPMS method have been taken in all patients. As at February 2008 187 patients have been recruited, and metal ion levels at 1 year are available in 52 patients. Metal ion levels are not increased with Ceramic on XLinked Poly or Ceramic on Ceramic bearings. At 1 year follow up the metal ion levels in Ceramic on Metal bearings is half that of Metal on Metal bearings using the mean levels, and one third using the madian levels. Of note is that the chromium levels in Ceramic on Metal bearings is the least elevated. Due to laboratory evidence that Ceramic on Metal bearings have the best surface wear characteristics with no head stripe wear, and laboratory and clinical evidence of lower metal ion blood levels, Ceramic on Metal hip replacements could be a bearing surface of the future.
Anterior and posterior drawer tests of the shoulder are described. Their purpose is to detect anterior and posterior shoulder instability and thereby to eliminate some of the failures of operative treatment. Their value in assessing unidirectional and multidirectional instability both before and after operation is discussed.
To evaluate the co-relation between clinical outcome and radiological correction achieved after the two osteotomies.
We designed a patient-focused questionnaire to evaluate clinical outcomes that addressed the main functional outcomes concerning patients after bunion surgery. These included pain, usage of footwear postoperatively, cosmoses, development of transfer metatarsalgia and the repeatability of the procedure they had undergone. These questions were point based and a final clinical score was calculated for comparison with the radiological correction. This was also used as a measure of success of the procedure.
Introduction: In clinical orthopaedics questionnaire based outcome scores such as the DASH shoulder score suffer from a ceiling effect, subjectivity and the dominance of pain perception over functional capacity. As a result it has becomes increasingly difficult to clinically validate medical innovations in therapy or implants and to account for rising patient demands. Thus, objective functional information needs to be added to routine