The aim of this study was to define objectively gait function in children with treated congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) and a good clinical result. The study also attempted an analysis of movement within the foot during gait. We compared 20 children with treated CTEV with 15 control subjects. Clinical assessment demonstrated good results from treatment. Three-dimensional gait analysis provided kinematic and kinetic data describing movement and moments at the joints of the lower limb during gait. A new method was used to study movement within the foot during gait. The data on gait showed significantly increased internal rotation of the foot during walking which was partially compensated for by external rotation at the hip. A mild foot drop and reduced plantar flexor power were also observed. Dorsiflexion at the midfoot was significantly increased, which probably compensated for reduced mobility at the hindfoot. Patients treated for CTEV with a good clinical result should be expected to have nearly normal gait and dynamic foot movement, but there may be residual intoeing, mild foot drop, loss of plantar flexor power with compensatory increased midfoot dorsiflexion and external hip rotation

Recent clinical studies have suggested that a neurological lesion may be a cause of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and animal experiments have implicated the posterior column pathway. We have tried to determine if differences in neurological response could be detected and measured clinically, and have compared the threshold of detection of vibratory sensation in 20 girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with that in 20 clinically normal age-matched controls. A highly significant reduction of the threshold of detection of vibration was seen in the scoliotic group compared to the controls (p less than 0.001). Curve magnitude did not correlate with this threshold for either the upper (r = 0.172) or lower extremity (r = 0.126). Significant asymmetry between right- and left-sided thresholds to vibration was demonstrated in the scoliotic group. Our study supports the concept that an aberration in the function of the posterior column pathway of the cord may be of primary importance in the aetiology of idiopathic scoliosis. A clinically practical test to measure this function is presented

Stature and its components were examined in 143 girls aged 11 to 15 years with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Correction was made for loss of height due to the lateral spinal curvature, and the findings were compared with those from 202 healthy girls of similar age. Using three components of stature (suprapelvic, pelvic and subischial heights) we were able to show that the relatively greater stature of girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis was due to changes in the pelvis and lower limbs but not significantly in the spine. Suprapelvic height was reduced relative to subischial height; this probably represents the growth pattern of predominantly ectomorphic individuals, reflecting the physique of many of these girls. Pelvic height was disproportionately increased, and this is considered to be a true rather than an apparent difference. Cephalocaudal disproportion involving two segments suggests a common mechanism of causation which is unlikely to be secondary to the scoliosis. These physical features may in some way be associated with a predisposition to progression of the scoliosis

A subjective, objective and radiographic study of 21 patients with comminuted calcaneal fractures showing severe involvement of the subtalar joint is reported. The average follow-up was 14.6 years (range 8 to 29 years). Only patients with unilateral closed fractures and no associated injuries to either lower limb were admitted to the study. All were treated by early active mobilisation of the ankle, and the subtalar and the midtarsal joints. Seventy-six per cent of the patients achieved a good result with minor symptoms which did not interfere with their occupation or leisure requirements. Although two-thirds of the patients reached a point of maximal recovery at two to three years, 24% continued to improve for six years. None of the patients experienced any deterioration after this time. Neither the degree of clinical stiffness nor the degeneration of the subtalar joint, assessed radiographically, correlated with the severity of symptoms or functional disability. The role of the soft tissues in the aetiology of residual symptoms is discussed

Aims

Abnormal femoral torsion (FT) is increasingly recognized as an additional cause for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). It is unknown if in-toeing of the foot is a specific diagnostic sign for increased FT in patients with symptomatic FAI. The aims of this study were to determine: 1) the prevalence and diagnostic accuracy of in-toeing to detect increased FT; 2) if foot progression angle (FPA) and tibial torsion (TT) are different among patients with abnormal FT; and 3) if FPA correlates with FT.

Aims

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of surgical repair to conservative treatment and subacromial decompression for the treatment of chronic/degenerative tears of the rotator cuff.

1. The strength of the pelvic arch depends on the integrity of the anterior interpubic ligament, whose strength has been demonstrated by dissections. Once that ligament is divided the sacro-iliac ligaments offer little resistance to opening out of the pelvis. 2. The structure of the pelvis and hips is compared to an arcade formed by a central and two lateral arches. The weight of the trunk is transmitted to the lower limbs through this arcade. 3. Fractures of the pelvis are classified according to the mechanism of production. The case for anatomical reposition and internal fixation is stated, and case histories are given to illustrate the disabilities due to persistent deformity. 4. Reduction can be achieved as late as two or three weeks after injury. However, if early operation for visceral injury is necessary, there is a strong case for combining this with open reduction and fixation. In some cases the patient's general condition may preclude such procedures, but more usually the additional manipulations cause little additional operative shock and are fully justified by the subsequent increased comfort of the patient and the greater ease of nursing

1. Excision of a lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion is required in only a small proportion of patients with this lesion. 2. A careful clinical and radiological examination of cases of lumbago and pain in the lower limb provides good evidence not only of the presence of a lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion but also of its anatomical level, size and relationships. Such examination is essential for the selection of the patients requiring surgical treatment. 3. In most of these selected cases, a carefully performed operation designed to relieve the affected nerve fibres from forces which stretch and compress them will give satisfying relief of symptoms. In the series reported, 92 per cent of patients were either completely free from symptoms or very greatly improved after operation. 4. The spinal and tension signs present before operation largely disappeared after it. Persistence of a pre-operative neurological deficit after operation is, however, relatively frequent, though seldom disabling. 5. The incidence of post-operative recurrence of symptoms of such severity as to indicate re-operation in the series was 2 per cent

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) following lower limb arthroplasty and to assess whether this adversely affected satisfaction, relief from pain, or the level of mobility as perceived by patients. Six hundred and ten consecutive recipients of primary total hip replacement (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR) underwent routine post-operative venography. The functional outcome had already been assessed at one year by using the Regional Arthroplasty Database questionnaire, the results of which were correlated to venographic records. The combined prevalence of DVT after THR and TKR in the patients, who did not receive chemical thromboprophylaxis, was 46.4%. Thrombus was identified in 57.6% of those with a TKR and in 33.5% of patients with a THR. Proximal thrombus was found in 11.0% of TKRs and in 14.8% of THRs. One year after surgery, patients who had a DVT established by venography did not report higher levels of immobility (p = 0.07), discomfort (p = 0.12) or dissatisfaction (p = 0.23) when compared to those with patent venous systems. This suggests that the prevalence of DVT following TKR/THR without chemical thromboprophylaxis is high and these findings are consistent with the literature. However, patients did not perceive thrombosis to compromise their overall outcome. This challenges the belief that DVT is associated with morbidity and calls for further comprehensive research in this area. The low morbidity of the lower limb associated with DVT in these patients does not support the use of chemical thromboprophylaxis

Objectives

CT-based three-column classification (TCC) has been widely used in the treatment of tibial plateau fractures (TPFs). In its updated version (updated three-column concept, uTCC), a fracture morphology-based injury mechanism was proposed for effective treatment guidance. In this study, the injury mechanism of TPFs is further explained, and its inter- and intraobserver reliability is evaluated to perfect the uTCC.

We reviewed retrospectively 22 patients (23 limb segments) with fibular hemimelia treated by amputation or limb lengthening to evaluate these methods of treatment. There were 12 boys and 10 girls, all with associated anomalies in the lower limbs. Twelve patients (13 limb segments) had early amputation and prosthetic fitting and ten had tibial lengthening using the Ilizarov technique. At the latest follow-up, the twelve patients who had amputation were functioning well and had few complications. The ten patients who had lengthening had suffered numerous complications, and all had needed either further corrective surgery or to wear braces or shoe-raises. Two of the ten lengthened limbs required late amputation for poor function or cosmesis. There were fewer hospital admissions, clinic visits, and periods of absence from school in the amputation group. Our findings suggest that amputation is a more effective method of management than limb-lengthening in severe fibular hemimelia. The Ilizarov method is an attractive alternative for selected patients, but its exact role is not yet established. One problem is that families often have unrealistic expectations of the surgical and prosthetic technology available and may refuse amputation when this has been recommended

The orthopaedic surgeon is often the first consultant to whom a patient with syringomyelia is referred. The disease is not as rare as he may suppose, but its early presenting features are very variable; if he relies solely on such familiar features as pes cavus and scoliosis, he may well miss the diagnosis. The commonest presenting symptom is pain in the head, neck, trunk or limbs; headache or neckache made worse by straining is particularly significant. A history of birth injury also may suggest the possibility of syringomyelia, especially if any spasticity subsequently worsens. Neurological features which may be diagnostic include nystagmus, dissociated sensory loss, muscle wasting, spasticity of the lower limbs or Charcot's joints. Radiographic features include erosion of the bodies of cervical vertebrae and widening of the spinal canal; if, at C5, the size of the canal exceeds that of the body by 6 millimetres in the adult, pathological dilatation is present. The presence of basilar invagination or other abnormalities of the foramen magnum, of spina bifida occulta and of scoliosis are further pointers. Thermography is a useful way of showing asymmetrical sympathetic involvement in early cases. A greater awareness of the prevalence of syringomyelia may lead to earlier diagnosis and to early operation, which appears to hold out the best hope of arresting what is all too commonly a severely disabling and progressive condition

1. The results of a three-year study of recovery in 3,033 lower limb muscles and 1,905 upper limb muscles in 142 patients are presented. 2. The rate of recovery of partly paralysed muscles is the same in all muscles and muscle groups in the lower or upper limb. Clinical differences in the ability of individual muscles to recover depend upon the proportions of their number that remain permanently paralysed. 3. The rate of recovery is slowest in adults and most rapid in young children. 4. The amount of further recovery to be expected in a muscle can be predicted from a knowledge of its grade at any time after one month from the onset of the paralysis. Fourteen-fifteenths of the total amount of recovery takes place by the beginning of the twelfth month; with rare exceptions individual muscle recovery is complete after twenty-four months. 5. Ninety per cent of muscles that are still completely paralysed after six months remain permanently paralysed. 6. The prognosis of a completely paralysed muscle is related to the level of paralysis in muscles supplied by the same spinal segments. 7. Deterioration in power in a muscle is uncommon and, when it occurs, is associated with the presence of the strong opposing force of antagonist muscles or of gravity. 8. The application of these findings to the management of cases of paralytic acute anterior poliomyelitis is discussed

The foregoing suggestions may be summarised in the following recommendations for the treatment of osteogenic sarcoma. 1. Deep x-ray therapy in high dosage, followed by local resection, should be given serious trial especially: 1) in the upper limb; 2) in the group with atypical clinical or radiographic signs, or histology resembling that of inflammatory lesions; 3) with Grade I histology; and 4) in the young. 2. Deep x-ray therapy followed at once by amputation should be used for osteogenic sarcoma if : 1) local resection would leave a lower limb more unstable than an artificial leg ; or 2) if response to x-rays is poor. 3. Deep x-ray therapy alone should be used: 1) if the patient is unsuitable for, or refuses, any operation ; and 2) palliatively, if metastases are present or the tumour is too advanced, or the patient is not fit for radical treatment. 4. Amputation alone should be used palliatively, for pain or fungation, when x-ray therapy has failed to relieve, or is not readily obtainable. 5. Biopsy and histological grading must be performed in every case. A histological diagnosis is most important. Coley (1949) and MacDonald and Budd (1943) support this view. 6. The records of every possible case should be sent to and discussed by a group with special experience of these tumours

Aims

Patient-specific instrumentation of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a technique permitting the targeting of individual kinematic alignment, but deviation from a neutral mechanical axis may have implications on implant fixation and therefore survivorship. The primary objective of this randomized controlled study was to compare the fixation of tibial components implanted with patient-specific instrumentation targeting kinematic alignment (KA+PSI) versus components placed using computer-assisted surgery targeting neutral mechanical alignment (MA+CAS). Tibial component migration measured by radiostereometric analysis was the primary outcome measure (compared longitudinally between groups and to published acceptable thresholds). Secondary outcome measures were inducible displacement after one year and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) over two years. The secondary objective was to assess the relationship between alignment and both tibial component migration and inducible displacement.

The predictive value of the pedal transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcPO2) and of the distal systolic blood pressure (SBP) in forecasting the necessity for later amputation has been studied in 26 patients suffering from severe chronic ischaemia of the lower limbs. In all these patients vascular surgery had failed or not been possible, and they were threatened by amputation; they suffered from trophic lesions, or pain at rest, or both. The great toe SBP averaged 10 mmHg (range 0 to 60 mmHg) and the pedal tcPO2 10 mmHg (range 2 to 45 mmHg). After six minutes of oxygen inhalation there was an increase in pedal tcPO2 of 9 mmHg (0 to 50 mmHg). After a follow-up period averaging 7 months (range 10 days to 13 months), 13 patients underwent an amputation and nine (five of whom had been amputated) died. The great toe SBP in the patients who required amputation was initially lower than in those who did not. The pedal tcPO2 also was lower in amputated than in non-amputated patients. There was no amputation in the group showing an increase of at least 10 mmHg after six minutes of oxygen inhalation; and conversely, all patients in whom the pedal tcPO2 increased less than 10 mmHg were amputated. Thus increase in the pedal tcPO2 after oxygen inhalation appears the best criterion for estimating the prognosis of severely ischaemic limbs

1. A study is reported of 190 femora in 174 patients in whom self-curing acrylic cement had been present in the medullary cavity of the upper end of the femur for the fixation of an endoprosthesis for an average period of four years. 2. The bone remained radiologically normal in 81 per cent of cases. 3. Improvement in the thickness of the cortex from pre-existing atrophy was noted in 2·6 per cent. 4. In 4·7 per cent the bone showed some atrophy after insertion of the cement. This exceeded 10 per cent in only two cases. All were originally osteoporotic from polyarthritis; all were satisfactory as regards the arthroplasty itself, and the atrophy could usually be explained by disuse resulting from the state of the opposite lower extremity, or the knee on the same side. 5. In 9·4 per cent there was fusiform hypertrophy of the femoral cortex, the bony texture remaining normal. This appearance was considered physiological and benign. 6. In 2·2 per cent there were changes for which the most likely explanation is chronic non-suppurative osteitis, though no collateral evidence of infection was found. 7. In 44·8 per cent there was a thin line of condensation in the cancellous bone demarcating the outer limits of the cement. This is considered to be physiological and not to indicate failure of immobilisation. 8. In 37·2 per cent there was slight resorption of the cut surface of the calcar femorale. This is considered to be physiological and to confirm the efficacy of weight transmission by cement lower down in the medullary cavity