Aims

We aimed to retrospectively assess the accuracy and safety of CT navigated pedicle screws and to compare accuracy in the cervical and thoracic spine (C2-T8) with (COMB) and without (POST) prior anterior surgery (anterior cervical discectomy or corpectomy and fusion with ventral plating: ACDF/ACCF).

Thirty-four patients wtih fibrodysplasia (syn., myositis) ossificans progressiva are described. Marked delay in diagnosis was usual, but all had characteristic skeletal malformations and ectopic ossification. The clinical features included: four types of malformation of the big toe, reduction defects of all digits, deafness, baldness of the scalp, and mental retardation. Progression of disability was erratic in all, but severe restriction of movement of the shoulder and spine was usual by the age of 10 years; the hips were usually involved by the age of 20 years; and most patients were confined to a chair by the age of 30 years. Exacerbating factors included trauma to the muscles, biopsy of the lumps, operations to excise ectopic bone, intramuscular injections, careless venepuncture and dental therapy. Progression of disability did not appear to be influenced by any form of medical treatment and therefore management of the patients must concentrate on the avoidance of exacerbating factors

In 15 patients who underwent open exploration of the brachial plexus, the somatosensory evoked potentials and nerve action potentials recorded at the time of operation were useful as guides to the most appropriate surgical procedure, and also in predicting the outcome in certain lesions. In three patients the apparent normality of the upper trunk of the plexus was concealing a more proximal lesion which was irrecoverable. The presence of a somatosensory evoked potential showed functional continuity in three patients in whom the C7 root was clinically involved and who recovered after operation. In five patients proximal stumps of ruptured C5 roots showed functional central continuity; this indicated their suitability for grafting. These patients recovered except one who suffered from co-existing disease. The electrophysiological studies also confirmed the clinical diagnosis of avulsion of the C8 and T1 roots and therefore prevented unnecessary dissection

Ninety-seven limbs, in eighty-one patients, with a diagnosis of congenital deficiency of the fibula have been reviewed. A classification was devised to distinguish the minimal hypoplasia of the fibula (Type I) from the well-known complete absence (Type II). Congenital anomalies of the femur were present in 76 per cent of patients with Type I deficiency and in 59 per cent with Type II. The shortening of the limb was by 13 per cent in Type I and by 19 per cent in Type II, and the percentage shortening was fairly constant during growth. A detailed description of the spectrum of other congenital anomalies was found to be characteristic: for example, the ball and socket formation of the ankle, tarsal coalition and anomalies of the foot. The treatment aimed simply to equalise leg length in Type I deficiency, while amputation of the foot and the fitting of a prosthesis were necessary in Type II to obtain satisfactory function

Fifty-nine children with juvenile idiopathic scoliosis have been reviewed. In six of eighteen who had no treatment the curvatures did not increase over eighteen months or more, while in twelve they increased at a median annual rate of six degrees. The pattern and magnitude of the curvature and the age at diagnosis could not be used accurately to predict progression. In forty-two patients progression occurred and Milwaukee brace treatment was begun, thirty being managed with periods of part-time wear. The median correction was 13 per cent. Serial measurements of the rib-vertebra angle difference (RVAD) were useful to predict a tendency to progress. Part-time wear of the brace was successful in cases where the RVAD values fell towards zero or became negative with treatment. Sixteen patients required surgical treatment; all had high positive RVAD values. However, with the plan of brace treatment outlined, part-time wear controlled many of the curvatures

Thirty-three patients who had undergone anterior cervical fusion for degenerative disc disease were reviewed to determine the efficacy of the procedure. Only patients who were available for examination and who had undergone operation at least one year previously were included in the review. Nearly all had had arm pain and three-quarters neck pain. Diminished neck movement and neurological abnormalities in the arms had been frequent findings. Diagnosis from the clinical features and plain radiographs is described. Myelography was not used routinely and discography was not used at all. Indications for operation and surgical technique are described. Results show that pain in the neck and arm was relieved in a high proportion of cases and that the neurological abnormalities often recovered. It is concluded that this operation is safe and has a definite place in the relief of pain from cervical disc degeneration resistant to conservative treatment

Doubt remains as to the safest surgical approach to the prolapsed thoracic intervertebral disc. Laminectomy, lateral rhachotomy and the transthoracic approach all have their protagonists. Twenty-two patients from the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, and Atkinson Morley's Hospital have been reviewed. Their clinical presentation is discussed and the ancillary aids to diagnosis assessed. The diagnostic value of disc space calcification is stressed, and the use of air myelography as an adjunct to positive contrast myelography is noted. Fifteen patients were subjected to laminectomy, and seven to lateral rhachotomy. Each group contained patients with a wide range of neurological deficit. Six of the patients who underwent laminectomy were improved, two were unchanged, six deteriorated and one died. Of the patients who had lateral rhachotomy, six were improved, one was unchanged and none deteriorated. The conclusion is drawn that lateral rhachotomy is a safer procedure

1. One hundred and sixty cases of incomplete or complete paraplegia due to extradural malignant tumour have been reviewed. Between 1959 and 1969 laminectomy for decompression of the cord was performed in 154 of these cases as an urgent measure and the results in 129 cases with full records have been assessed. 2. Immediate laminectomy, a palliative procedure, gave worthwhile improvement in 35 percent of cases of incomplete paraplegia; such patients could walk and had satisfactory control of bladder function at least six months after operation. 3. There were no satisfactory results when the paraplegia was complete. 4. The relief of pain following decompression may be gratifying, even if the patient does not improve sufficiently to fulfil the criteria of a satisfactory result. 5. The results emphasise the importance of early diagnosis, myelography and decompression if a patient with incomplete paralysis is to be offered any chance of relief

1. We have reported our experience in fifty-two patients with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. 2. The nature of the disorder, its possible cause, the clinical features and differential diagnosis are discussed. 3. Early management is described with special reference to the infant, his parents, and general principles of selection and timing. The treatment of the individual deformities which commonly occur is outlined. 4. We have emphasised that lower limb deformities should be treated vigorously in the first year, whereas in the upper limb treatment is better delayed until an accurate assessment can be made. 5. Correction in the young child should be by soft-tissue release rather than by osteotomy. 6. Prolonged splinting after operation is necessary. 7. Severe weakness may dominate the problem and make operation unrewarding. 8. The intelligence, determination and adaptability of these children flatters even modest surgical success

We investigated the epidemiology, assessment and outcome of acute atraumatic limp in 243 children under the age of 14 years presenting to a paediatric accident and emergency department (AED) over a period of six months. Data were collected at presentation and medical notes were re-examined after 18 to 21 months. The incidence of limp was 1.8 per thousand. The male:female ratio was 1.7:1 and the median age 4.35 years. Limp was mainly right-sided (54%) and painful (80%); 33.7% of the children had localised pain in the hip. A preceding illness was found in 40%. The main diagnosis was ‘irritable hip’/transient synovitis (39.5%); Perthes’ disease accounted for 2%. Most patients (77%) were managed entirely in the AED. Acute atraumatic limp is a common problem in children presenting to the AED. Most can be safely managed there if guidelines are followed and will have a benign outcome. Further studies are needed to identify the role of preceding illness in the aetiology of acute atraumatic limp

Aims

Following the resection of an extensive amount of bone in the treatment of a tumour, the residual segment may be insufficient to accept a standard length intramedullary cemented stem. Short-stemmed endoprostheses conceivably have an increased risk of aseptic loosening. Extra-cortical plates have been added to minimise this risk by supplementing fixation. The aim of this study was to investigate the survivorship of short-stemmed endoprostheses and extra-cortical plates.

Aims

After intercalary resection of a bone tumour from the femur, reconstruction with a vascularized fibular graft (VFG) and massive allograft is considered a reliable method of treatment. However, little is known about the long-term outcome of this procedure. The aims of this study were to determine whether the morbidity of this procedure was comparable to that of other reconstructive techniques, if it was possible to achieve a satisfactory functional result, and whether biological reconstruction with a VFG and massive allograft could achieve a durable, long-lasting reconstruction.

In a prospective, consecutive study 93 patients who had had previous lumbar spinal surgery underwent repeat decompression for persistent or recurrent back and leg pain. The previous operations had been discectomies in 65 patients and decompression for spinal stenosis in 28; two of the latter group had also had posterolateral fusion. At the repeat operation, disc herniation was found in 19 patients, lateral spinal stenosis in 19, central spinal stenosis in 20 and periradicular fibrosis in 35. Ninety-one patients were followed up for two years after surgery; the effect of the operation was recorded using a four-scale grading system. The results were significantly related to the diagnosis. Nerve-root compression due to recurrent disc herniation or to bony compression responded well to repeat decompression. In patients with a single nerve-root compression the results were similar to those obtained in primary operations. Sciatica due to nerve-root scarring was seldom improved by the repeat operation

Fifty-two children with 62 discoid lateral menisci were reviewed at an average follow-up of 5.5 years. Their average age at operation was 10.5 years and the mean delay in diagnosis was 24 months. Most of the children had vague and intermittent symptoms and the classical clunk was demonstrable in only 39% of the knees. An associated osteochondritis dissecans of the lateral femoral condyle was seen in seven knees. Forty-eight knees with symptomatic torn discoid menisci underwent open total lateral meniscectomy, six had arthroscopic partial meniscectomy and eight knees with intact discoid menisci, were left alone. Based on Ikeuchi's grading (Ikeuchi 1982), 37% of the knees had an excellent result, 47% had a good result and 16% had a fair result: none was poor. Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy is recommended only when the posterior attachment of the discoid meniscus is stable. A total meniscectomy is indicated for the Wrisberg-ligament type of discoid meniscus with posterior instability

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in femoral trochlear morphology following surgical correction of recurrent patellar dislocation associated with trochlear dysplasia in children.

We reviewed 129 patients with subcutaneous sarcoma diagnosed from 1964 to the end of 1985 in a population-based series of sarcoma cases from southern Sweden. The annual incidence was 0.4 per 100,000, comprising 32% of all soft-tissue sarcomas of the extremities or the trunk wall. Compared to deep-seated sarcomas, subcutaneous tumours were half the size at diagnosis, more common in the lower leg and foot, more often malignant fibrous histiocytoma, and of a lower grade of malignancy. None of the low-grade and only 7% of the high-grade tumours recurred locally after wide local excision without radiotherapy. The cumulative five-year survival for all 129 patients was 80%. Multivariate analysis identified only high grade of malignancy and the size of the tumour (greater than 5 cm) as independent prognostic factors. We conclude that systemic or local adjuvant therapy is not generally indicated for subcutaneous sarcoma because of the good prognosis and low local recurrence rate after wide excision

We report three cases of spontaneous healing of aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC). In one case histological material was obtained after resection of the already ossified expansile mass discovered as a lytic lesion seven months previously. In the two other patients, spontaneous ossification of a radiologically presumed ABC in the lytic and expansile phase was observed after nine and seven months respectively. The healed lesions have remained stable at 12, 32, and 36 months respectively. These findings suggest that when the diagnosis can be made with confidence, and the lesion is in a location and at a stage that does not entail any risk of fracture or compression, expectant management should be considered. Our three patients were aged 22, 19 and 18 years, older than usual for developing ABC. This is also true for many of the few other reported cases of spontaneous or almost spontaneous healing and suggests that ABC has a greater tendency to stabilise in older patients

We reviewed 19 patients who presented with aggressive granulomatosis around the femoral stem after hip replacement. All had experienced stress pain and had required revision arthroplasty on average 8.8 years after the primary operation. Fifteen patients were men and four were women; none had rheumatoid arthritis. One patient had an uncemented Moore hemiprosthesis; the others all had cemented total hip replacements. When first detected, the granulomatous lesions were multifocal in 13 patients. The first granuloma was in the region of the lesser trochanter in 10, and near the tip of the stem in only two. Speed of growth varied but on average there was doubling of the area on anteroposterior films in 2.2 years (range 6 months to 4.6 years). Aggressive granulomatous lesions in replaced hips are a distinct condition, different from simple loosening or infection; the lesions may grow rapidly, so revision surgery is indicated soon after diagnosis

Sinus-track cultures were compared prospectively with cultures from operative specimens in 55 patients with chronic bone infection. There was a total of 115 operative isolates; 102 of the sinus-track isolates were identical (88.7%), showing a specificity of 95.7% and a predictive value of 90.3%. A sinus-track specimen proved to be a reliable source for the isolation of all bacteria causing chronic bone infection except Staphylococcus epidermidis, provided that material from the depths of the sinus was aspirated by syringe from an active flowing sinus and inoculated immediately on culture media. Cotton-swab sinus specimens were unreliable for the isolation of mycobacteria, and could miss many pyogenic bacteria, or contain contaminants. Tuberculous bone infection should be suspected if there is no growth of any pyogenic bacteria or if there is growth of Staphyloccocus epidermidis alone on routine aerobic and anaerobic sinus cultures. Mycobacteria can often be identified from sinus-track culture from patients in whom operative culture, histopathology and clinical examination have failed to confirm the diagnosis of tuberculosis