Fractures of the distal radius are common skeletal injuries. In most practices patients are discharged within few weeks to few months. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is a difference in outcome between 6 months and 1 year with different treatment methods with special focus on conservative management.

A one-year prospective cohort study of patients with fractures of the distal radius was set in York Hospital. From 204 patients included, 200 (98%), 182 (89%) and 164 (82%) patients were evaluated at 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year, respectively. Two patients had bilateral fractures. In total 162 fractures were treated conservatively, and 8 fractures were treated operatively following failure of conservative immobilization.

Outcome assessment included Gartland and Werley, DASH and SF-36 scoring systems. Between 6 months and 1 year there was statistically significant improvement in the over-all Gartland and Werley score (p< 0.001) and most of its components such as the subjective evaluation, grip strength, arthritis change, finger function, and the range of motion. There was no significant improvement in pain and deformity.

In the conservatively treated patients a good or excellent result was found after 6 months in 77%, after 1 year in 92%. In the failed conservative group it was 61% (5/7) and 83 % (5/6).

Conclusion: This study has shown that functional improvement occurs up to 1 year following distal radius fractures, therefore a final say in the outcome may not be determined before that time should the need arise for reconstructive surgery or medico legal advice.

Hip resurfacing is a procedure designed to conserve bone stock in the younger patient and facilitate revision to a total hip arthroplasty if the need arises. The Wagner Hip Resurfacing (WHR) was a metal-on- poly implant introduced in 1978.

The notes and radiographs of 16 patients who underwent 19 WHR procedures performed by a single surgeon between 1980 and 1984 were reviewed.

The mean age at primary surgery was 54 (range 41–68). 16 of the WHRs required revision at a mean time of 45 months (range 1–144 months). 3 WHR had not been revised: one is functioning at 22 years, one functioning well 20 years after implantation when the patient died and 1 non-functional 9 years after implantation due to femoral head reabsorption.

The reason for revision was femoral neck fracture (3), femoral head collapse / avascular necrosis or loosening (8), acetabular loosening (5).

Subsequent problems with the revision were noted in 6 patients (2 dislocations, 2 infections, 1 acetabular loosening and 1 femoral loosening). 3 patients ended with a Girdlestone excision arthroplasty and 2 required re-revision.

Hip resurfacing is designed as a conservative option for the young arthritic hip. This prosthesis not only failed catastrophically at an early stage but had a major subsequent impact on revision surgery and complications associated with it.

The purpose of our study was to find out the midterm results of the Müller acetabular roof reinforcement ring in primary and revision total hip arthroplasty. From 1988 to 1998, 48 total hip arthroplasties using the acetabular roof reinforcement ring (39 patients) was performed by one surgeon (PDB).

We reviewed all patients who had a minimum of five year follow up. There were 37 hips (31 patients) with a mean follow up of 7 years (5 to 12 years). Acetabular deficiencies were classified according to the AAOS classification. Acetabular reconstruction was done using the Müller acetabular roof reinforcement ring with the polyethylene cup cemented to the ring, and morcellized cancellous bone graft. Müller straight stem femoral prosthesis was used in all cases for femoral reconstruction. All patients were followed up annually and outcome assessed using Harris hip score. There were 27 primary procedures and 10 revisions. 30 patients (81%) had cavitary, 2 (5%) had segmental and 5 (14%) had combined defects.

Survival analysis was done with failure defined as radiological evidence of loosening of the acetabular component. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS for Windows (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Illinois). 5 patients died due to unrelated causes and 2 patients were lost for follow up. The mean Harris hip score improved from 42 preoperatively to 82 postoperatively (p< 0. 001)(Wilcoxon Signed Rank test). Both mean pain and function score showed improvement from 12 to 39 postoperatively (p< 0. 001) and 12 to 32 (p< 0. 001) respectively. 5 patients had radiological loosening of the ring. The migration rate was 13%. The cumulative survival rate at 12 years, excluding all patients who died and were lost for follow up, was 79. 3% (95% confidence interval 71. 4 to 87. 2, standard error 4). There was no statistical difference in the failure rate between primary and revision procedures (chi-square test). This series show satisfactory medium term results with Müller roof reinforcement ring and cancellous bone graft in acetabular deficiencies with poor bone stock.

We performed a retrospective review of the case notes of 84 consecutive patients who had suffered a severe (Gustilo IIIb or IIIc) open fracture of the tibia after blunt trauma between 1990 and 1998. All had been treated by a radical protocol which included early soft-tissue cover with a muscle flap by a combined orthopaedic and plastic surgery service. Our ideal management is a radical debridement of the wound outside the zone of injury, skeletal stabilisation and early soft-tissue cover with a vascularised muscle flap. All patients were followed clinically and radiologically to union or for one year.

After exclusion of four patients (one unrelated death and three patients lost to follow-up), we reviewed 80 patients with 84 fractures. There were 67 men and 13 women with a mean age of 37 years (3 to 89). Five injuries were grade IIIc and 79 grade IIIb; 12 were site 41, 43 were site 42 and 29 were site 43. Debridement and stabilisation of the fracture were invariably performed immediately. In 33 cases the soft-tissue reconstruction was also completed in a single stage, while in a further 30 it was achieved within 72 hours. In the remaining 21 there was a delay beyond 72 hours, often for critical reasons unrelated to the limb injury. All grade-IIIc injuries underwent immediate vascular reconstruction, with an immediate cover by a flap in two. All were salvaged. There were four amputations, one early, one mid-term and two late, giving a final rate of limb salvage of 95%. Overall, nine pedicled and 75 free muscle flaps were used; the rate of flap failure was 3.5%. Stabilisation of the fracture was achieved with 19 external and 65 internal fixation devices (nails or plates). Three patients had significant segmental defects and required bone-transport procedures to achieve bony union. Of the rest, 51 fractures (66%) progressed to primary bony union while 26 (34%) required a bone-stimulating procedure to achieve this outcome. Overall, there was a rate of superficial infection of the skin graft of 6%, of deep infection at the site of the fracture of 9.5%, and of serious pin-track infection of 37% in the external fixator group. At final review all patients were walking freely on united fractures with no evidence of infection.

The treatment of these very severe injuries by an aggressive combined orthopaedic and plastic surgical approach provides good results; immediate internal fixation and healthy soft-tissue cover with a muscle flap is safe. Indeed, delay in cover (> 72 hours) was associated with most of the problems. External fixation was associated with practical difficulties for the plastic surgeons, a number of chronic pin-track infections and our only cases of malunion. We prefer to use internal fixation. We recommend primary referral to a specialist centre whenever possible. If local factors prevent this we suggest that after discussion with the relevant centre, initial debridement and bridging external fixation, followed by transfer, is the safest procedure.

We assessed factors which may affect union in 32 patients with nonunion of a fracture of the diaphysis of the femur and 67 comparable patients whose fracture had united. These included gender, age, smoking habit, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) the type of fracture (AO classification), soft-tissue injury (open or closed), the type of nail, the mode of locking, reaming v non-reaming, infection, failure of the implant, distraction at the fracture site, and the time to full weight-bearing. Patients with severe head injuries were excluded. Both groups were comparable with regard to gender, Injury Severity Score and soft-tissue injury.

There was no relationship between the rate of union and the type of implant, mode of locking, reaming, distraction or smoking. There were fewer cases of nonunion in more comminuted fractures (type C) and in patients who were able to bear weight early. There was a marked association between nonunion and the use of NSAIDs after injury (p = 0.000001) and delayed healing was noted in patients who took NSAIDs and whose fractures had united.

A prospective trial was performed, comparing the use of silver sulphadiazine occlusive dressings with Fucidin gauze compressive dressings in the treatment of injuries to the finger-tip in patients presenting at the casualty department. Sixty-four patients were seen, four of whom had severe injury with extensive loss of pulp. The time taken for the wound to heal, the incidence of infection, and the duration of absence from work were compared for both types of treatment. The results showed that silver sulphadiazine occlusive dressings were the most effective in the treatment of these injuries even when they were severe.