Forty cases of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia were reviewed. The results were assessed so as to emphasise function rather than simply the presence or absence of union. At the time of review, 14 patients had undergone amputation; eight others had non-union or tenuous union. No surgical procedure except the Farmer operation (a composite skin and bone pedicle graft from the other leg) showed any clear superiority. Among the factors associated with a poor result were considerable shortening, older children, and rapid resorption of the bone graft. It is felt that congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is a biological problem and not merely a mechanical one; consequently biological approaches to its treatment are needed

We have observed congenital hypophosphataemic rickets in two sons of a marriage between first cousins, their mother being clinically and biochemically normal. Both patients are now approaching middle age. In addition to severe childhood rickets and lifelong hypophosphataemia, their disease is characterised by gross osteosclerosis with extraskeletal ossification, clinically persistent osteomalacia in one and spinal cord compression in the other. The genetics of this disease can be satisfactorily explained only on the basis of autosomal recessive inheritance, a mode which has only once before been reported in the literature. The severity of certain features, which would be expected in a homozygous state, may help our understanding of the more usual X-linked form

1. A medial approach is preferred for arthrodesis of the wrist in reconstructive surgery because there is no interference with the extensor tendons. 2. The value of pre-operative assessment by a trial period in plaster is mentioned. 3. The technique of operation is described. 4. In the absence of active pronation, screwing the ulna to the radius in 45 degrees of pronation is advised. 5. The necessity for securing haemostasis before closing the wound is emphasised. 6. Thirty-four cases are reviewed. The shortest follow-up was one year and the longest twelve years. The result was satisfactory in all cases. Most patients were discharged from hospital after the plaster had been changed two weeks after operation. Union occurred in about sixteen weeks

Injuries to the sciatic nerve are an occasional complication of surgery to the hip and acetabulum, and traction is frequently the causative mechanism. In vitro and animal experiments have shown that increased tensile strain on peripheral nerves, when applied for prolonged periods, impairs nerve function. We have used video-extensometry to measure strain on the human sciatic nerve during total hip replacement (THR). Ten consecutive patients with a mean age of 72 years undergoing primary THR by the posterior approach were recruited, and strains in the sciatic nerve were measured in different combinations of flexion and extension of the hip and knee, before dislocation of the hip. Significant increases (p = 0.02) in strain in the sciatic nerve were observed in flexion of the hip and extension of the knee. The mean increase was 26% (19% to 30%). In animal studies increases of this magnitude have been shown to impair electrophysiological function in peripheral nerves. Our results suggest that excessive flexion of the hip and extension of the knee should be avoided during THR

A new technique of shoulder fusion is presented using a posterior approach. After removal of the articular cartilage, a Rush pin is introduced from the spine of the scapula, through the glenoid into the medullary canal of the humerus. This is supplemented by tension-band wiring from the acromion to the neck of the humerus and a muscle pedicle graft attached to the acromion. A shoulder spica is applied for four to six weeks. Four patients with injuries to the upper brachial plexus and 14 with paralysis of the upper arm due to anterior poliomyelitis have been followed for three years. One of the 18 patients developed nonunion; she had removed her own cast prematurely. This method of fixation provides high shear resistance and low axial stiffness without deforming plastically. It does not affect bone growth in young patients, is effective in patients with osteoporosis, and gives a high rate of union

The posterior malleolus of the ankle is the object of increasing attention, with considerable enthusiasm for CT scanning and surgical fixation, as expressed in a recent annotation in The Bone & Joint Journal. Undoubtedly, fractures with a large posterior malleolar fragment that allow posterior talar subluxation from the mortise are served better by fixation. However, in all other situations, the existing literature does not support this widespread change in practice. The available biomechanical evidence shows that the posterior malleolus has little part to play in the stability or contact stresses of the ankle joint. Radiographic studies have not shown that CT scanning offers helpful information on pathoanatomical classification, case selection, or prognosis, or that scanning improves the likelihood of an adequate surgical reduction. Clinical studies have not shown any improvement in patient outcome after surgical fixation, and have confirmed that the inevitable consequence of increased intervention is an increased rate of complications. A careful and thoughtful evaluation of indications, risks, and benefits of this fashionable concept is required to ensure that we are deploying valuable resources with efficacy, and that we do no harm.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:566–9.

1. The results of Chiari pelvic osteotomy have been examined two to six years after operation in a group of eighteen patients with persisting acetabular dysplasia in the second and third decades. 2. The analysis suggests that for a good clinical result it is essential to create a relationship of the new outer acetabular lip to the original lip so that the CE angle is between 20 and 40 degrees and the roof angle is between 10 degrees below and 20 degrees above the horizontal. 3. This may be achieved by a pelvic osteotomy immediately above the joint capsule, angled 10 degrees upwards and inwards and displaced by 50 per cent of the pelvic thickness. 4. Details of the operative technique using a Smith-Petersen approach are presented

We studied prospectively the impact of a hip surveillance clinic on the management of spastic hip disease in children with cerebral palsy in a tertiary referral centre. Using a combination of primary clinical and secondary radiological screening we were able to detect spastic hip disease at an early stage in most children and to offer early surgical intervention. The principal effect on surgical practice was that more preventive surgery was carried out at a younger age and at a more appropriate stage of the disease. The need for reconstructive surgery has decreased and that for salvage surgery has been eliminated. Displacement of the hip in children with cerebral palsy meets specific criteria for a screening programme. We recommend that hip surveillance should become part of the routine management of children with cerebral palsy. The hips should be examined radiologically at 18 months of age in all children with bilateral cerebral palsy and at six- to 12-monthly intervals thereafter. A co-ordinated approach by orthopaedic surgeons and physiotherapists may be the key to successful implementation of this screening programme

Aims

The management of a significant bony defect following excision of a diaphyseal atrophic femoral nonunion remains a challenge. We present the outcomes using a combined technique of acute femoral shortening, stabilized with a long retrograde intramedullary nail, accompanied by bifocal osteotomy compression and distraction osteogenesis with a temporary monolateral fixator.

A review is presented of 13 young patients with congenital scoliosis who were treated by epiphysiodesis of part of the vertebral bodies combined with posterior fusion, both on the convex side; the plan was to arrest growth on the convexity which, combined with growth of the concave side, would result in progressive correction of the curve. The first patient was operated on at the age of four years and has now reached skeletal maturity with complete correction of her curve. Several others, still growing, are showing progressive correction. Only three curves, in which kyphosis was more severe than scoliosis, have deteriorated since operation. Although full assessment must await skeletal maturity of all the patients, this approach appears to have sufficient potential to justify an early report

Late degenerative changes are known to follow meniscectomy, but there is little agreement on their incidence or on which patients are most at risk. A total of 210 patients have been reviewed 10 to 22 years after meniscectomy, and long leg radiographs taken of both knees. Radiological degeneration was seen in 18%, while 7% had significant symptoms and signs. Statistical analysis showed increased changes in older patients, in those with abnormal leg alignment, and in those who had undergone lateral as against medial meniscectomy. Our findings emphasise the important mechanical function of the meniscus and support the current cautious approach to meniscectomy, especially for patients in high risk groups. They also indicate the value of early high tibial osteotomy for symptomatic varus deformity after medial meniscectomy

Aims

This study investigated the influence of body mass index (BMI) on patients’ function and quality of life ten years after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Aims

The aim of this study was to test the null hypothesis that there is no difference, from the payer perspective, in the cost of treatment of a distal radial fracture in an elderly patient, aged > 65 years, between open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) and closed reduction (CR).

Major ruptures of the rotator cuff were repaired in 89 patients over a six-year period, using an approach through the split deltoid muscle and the bed of the excised outer centimetre of the clavicle. Review of these patients showed that poor results were associated with larger cuff defects, with more pre-operative steroid injections and with pre-operative weakness of the deltoid muscle. A randomised prospective study showed that repair followed by splinting in abduction gave no better results than repair followed by resting the arm at the side. Excision of the coraco-acromial ligament was associated with worse results than leaving its divided halves in situ. Follow-up showed that the results continued to improve for two years after operation; their quality was maintained in patients less than 60 years old, but in those over 60 there was deterioration with time

Ninety-seven patients suffering from painful arc syndrome of the shoulder were studied. Local anaesthetic and radiographic contrast investigations were carried out. One-third of the patients had lesions in the posterior part of the rotator cuff which resolved after injections of local anaesthetic and steroid. One-third had anterior lesions in the subscapularis tendon: almost all resolved under the same regime but two required division of the coraco-acromial ligament. The remaining third had lesions of the supraspinatus tendon, usually associated with degeneration of the acromio-clavicular joint: most of these failed to gain relief from the local anaesthetic and steroid. Twenty-two operations were performed either by a transcromial or by a deltoid splitting approach. Excision of the outer end of the clavicle and division of the coraco-acromial ligament abolished the pain in most cases

Aims

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcome of using an anatomical short-stem shoulder prosthesis to treat primary osteoarthritis of the glenohumeral joint.

The meniscofemoral ligaments were studied in 84 fresh-frozen knees from 49 cadavers. Combined anterior and posterior approaches were used to identify the ligaments. In total, 78 specimens (93%) contained at least one meniscofemoral ligament. The anterior meniscofemoral ligament (aMFL) was present in 62 specimens (74%), and the posterior meniscofemoral ligament (pMFL) in 58 (69%). The 42 specimens (50%) in which both ligaments were present were from a significantly younger population than that with one MFL or none (p < 0.05). Several anatomical variations were identified, including oblique fibres of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), which were seen in 16 specimens (19%). These were termed the ‘false pMFL’. The high incidence of MFLs and their anatomical variations should be borne in mind during arthroscopic and radiological examination of the PCL. It is important to recognise the oblique fibres of the PCL on MRI in order to avoid wrongly identifying them as either a pMFL or a tear of the lateral meniscus. The increased incidence of MFLs in younger donors suggests that they degenerate with age

Aims

The intra-articular administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) has been shown to be effective in reducing blood loss in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and anterior cruciate reconstruction. The effects on human articular cartilage, however, remains unknown. Our aim, in this study, was to investigate any detrimental effect of TXA on chondrocytes, and to establish if there was a safe dose for its use in clinical practice. The hypothesis was that TXA would cause a dose-dependent damage to human articular cartilage.

We analysed the cellular immune response in ten transplantations of different massive bone allografts, of which five had a poor clinical outcome. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and T helper lymphocytes (TH) against mismatched donor antigens were found in all patients. More importantly, CTL with a high affinity for donor antigens were found in five cases. High-affinity CTL need no CD8 molecule to stabilise the antigen binding and are strongly associated with rejection of heart and corneal transplants. Even after removal of most of the bone-marrow cells, we found high-affinity CTL and high TH frequencies. This T-cell response could be detected over a period of years. We conclude that frozen bone allografts can induce high-affinity donor-specific CTL. The present assay allows qualification and quantification of the levels of CTL and TH in the blood. This approach may be helpful in studying the effect of the immune response on the outcome of the graft