Improved technology, increasing experience and techniques warrant an analysis of cost effective ways of medical management in general and shoulder decompression specifically. The question raised was whether a less invasive technique is necessarily the most cost effective way or merely the surgeons' preferred technique. This is a retrospective study of patients at Tertiary Academic Institution who underwent an open or arthroscopic shoulder decompression in the past 3 years. The aim of the study is to do a cost analysis of shoulder surgery as private health care (medical aid) is demanding more cost effective procedures and we have limited funds in the Government setting. We focused on the following: the surgeon; the procedure; operating time; inpatient time; intraoperative block; physiotherapy costs, time off work and the cost of instrumentation used. Patients had to comply with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion: All patients that had shoulder decompression surgery in the past three years by a qualified orthopaedic surgeon; Exclusion: sepsis, tumours, rotator cuff tears, conversion of an arthroscopic procedure to an open procedure intraoperatively, inadequate notes, multiple surgical procedure under the same anaesthetic (e.g. scope with a trapezium excision).Purpose of the study:
Methods:
Fibromatosis is a benign, but locally aggressive tumour. We had a series of patients who had a high rate of recurrence though they had a wide surgical excision. The question raised was whether there are newer treatment modalities with a higher success rate. We did a retrospective study and review of the literature in order to see if there was anything new that can help us reduce recurrences. A retrospective study of all patients who presented with histologically confirmed fibromatosis at an orthopaedic practice in the past 19 years was conducted. Age of the patient at first presentation; sex; tumour site; surgery performed; histological results; first line of treatment and recurrence rate were reviewed. Patients were also contacted telephonically in order to know if they had any recurrence that was managed by another orthopaedic surgeon.Purpose of the study
Materials and Methods
