Aims

This study aimed to develop a virtual clinic for the purpose of reducing face-to-face orthopaedic consultations.

1. Idiopathic necrosis of the femoral head is generally considered to be a rare disease but it appears to be rather frequent in France in view of the fact that 139 cases were recorded in the orthopaedic clinic of Hôpital Cochin between 1959 and 1963. Ninety cases treated by operation have been analysed in this paper. Men are nearly exclusively affected between the ages of eighteen and seventy, with the highest incidence between thirty and fifty years of age. Both hips are affected in 52 per cent of cases. 2. The etiology is unknown, but steroid therapy was noted in 36 per cent of the cases and some history of slight injury in 30 per cent. The sudden onset of pain in half the cases suggests the obliteration of one of the blood vessels supplying the femoral head. 3. Radiographs are often normal at the time of onset of the symptoms but later they show increased density of the head localised to the antero-superior aspect, and later still collapse of this weight-bearing region. The extent of the lesion appears to be determined from the very beginning rather than to be progressive. The superior joint space is never reduced and may in fact be widened. 4. Pathological examination of the head and neck confirms necrosis of the cancellous bone and the integrity of the overlying cartilage, but shows deep to the necrotic region a highly reactive zone characterised by hypervascularity and raised metabolism. These features have been demonstrated by injection of the blood vessels and also by the uptake of phosphorus 32 and by the succino-deshydrogenase test. 5. In six cases microscopic vascular lesions were found in the antero-lateral pedicle of the femoral head. 6. The high degree of activity of the tissue deep to the necrotic zone gives some hope for revascularisation of the necrotic segment. For this reason protection from pressure may be the way to prevent dramatic collapse of the head. Rest, medical treatment and freedom from weight bearing, however, do not achieve adequate protection. Varus or rotation osteotomy of the femoral neck not only gives relief from pain but appears to prevent collapse of the femoral head. 7. When destruction of the head has already taken place good results may be expected from the insertion of a metallic prosthesis, provided the acetabulum is sound. The results are less favourable when the acetabulum has been altered by secondary arthritic change, and arthrodesis may have to be considered if the disease is unilateral or when a prosthesis has been successfully inserted on the other side

1. Ectopic ossification is commonest in, but not confined to, traumatic paraplegia. It occurs also in many other neurological disorders which have in common a gross disturbance of spinal cord reflex activity. It is a true ossification and must be distinguished from calcification. 2. The neurological lesion may lie anywhere from the cerebral cortex to the mixed peripheral nerve. It may involve motor tracts, sensory tracts or a mixture of both. 3. The ossification is localised and self-limiting. It occurs mainly in the lower limbs and is restricted to certain muscles or muscle groups, the nerve supply of which is always below the level of the central neurological lesion. 4. The blood chemistry is usually normal. 5. A true arthropathy is rare except as part of a secondary suppurative arthritis. 6. The resemblance to myositis ossificans progressiva or to ossifying haematoma is only superficial, although the pathological process at cellular level may be the same. 7. The period of onset after paraplegia is variable. The earliest recorded example is in one of our own cases in which ossification occurred nineteen days after injury. Other patients have developed ossification after several years. 8. The condition is commonest in acquired nervous disease rather than in congenital disorders, and so far as we know it has not been described in the myopathies. The presence of muscular spasticity or flaccidity is relevant only in that it indicates a disturbance of reflex activity. 9. Soft-tissue ulceration appears to be frequently associated with ectopic ossification. The type of new bone formation associated with large chronic ulcers is not to be compared with the new bone formation in the muscles of a paraplegic patient in otherwise good general condition. 10. The occurrence of urinary tract infections with calculi and generalised sepsis is not specifically related to the onset of new bone formation. 11. Localised soft-tissue oedema often precedes the formation of new bone. Its appearance is undoubtedly important, but the mechanism of its origin is obscure. 12. It is not yet known what initiates ectopic ossification, what limits its spread and what finally causes it to stop. 13. We have described 100 examples of ectopic ossification in 603 paraplegic patients. 14. Surgery has been required in only eight patients. The only indication for surgery is bony ankylosis of the hip in an unacceptable position

Delayed rather than early reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament is the current recommended treatment for injury to this ligament since it is thought to give a better functional outcome. We randomised 105 consecutive patients with injury associated with chondral lesions no more severe than grades 1 and 2 and/or meniscal tears which only required trimming, to early (< two weeks) or delayed (> four to six weeks) reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament using a quadrupled hamstring graft. All operations were performed by a single surgeon and a standard rehabilitation regime was followed in both groups. The outcomes were assessed using the Lysholm score, the Tegner score and measurement of the range of movement. Stability was assessed by clinical tests and measurements taken with the KT-1000 arthrometer, with all testing performed by a blinded uninvolved experienced observer. A total of six patients were lost to follow-up, with 48 patients assigned to the delayed group and 51 to the early group. None was a competitive athlete. The mean interval between injury and the surgery was seven days (2 to 14) in the early group and 32 days (29 to 42) in the delayed group. The mean follow-up was 32 months (26 to 36). The results did not show a statistically significant difference for the Lysholm score (p = 0.86), Tegner activity score (p = 0.913) or the range of movement (p = 1). Similarly, no distinction could be made for stability testing by clinical examination (p = 0.56) and measurements with the KT-1000 arthrometer (p = 0.93). Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament gave a similar clinical and functional outcome whether performed early (< two weeks) or late at four to six weeks after injury

Aims

The aims of this study were to review the surgical technique for a combined femoral head reduction osteotomy (FHRO) and periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), and to report the short-term clinical and radiological results of a combined FHRO/PAO for the treatment of selected severe femoral head deformities.

It has been noted that bony union of a pars defect can be achieved in children if they wear a trunk brace. Our aim was to evaluate how the stage of the defect on CT and the presence or absence of high signal change in the adjacent pedicle on T2-weighted MRI were related to bony healing. We treated 23 children conservatively for at least three months. There were 19 boys and four girls with a mean age of 13.5 years (7 to 17). They were asked to refrain from sporting activity and to wear a Damen soft thoracolumbosacral type brace. There were 41 pars defects in 23 patients. These were classified as an early, progressive or terminal stage on CT. The early-stage lesions had a hairline crack in the pars interarticularis, which became a gap in the progressive stage. A terminal-stage defect was equivalent to a pseudarthrosis. On the T2-weighted MR scan the presence or absence of high signal change in the adjacent pedicle was assessed and on this basis the defects were divided into high signal change-positive or -negative. Healing of the defect was assessed by CT. In all, 13 (87%) of the 15 early defects healed. Of 19 progressive defects, only six (32%) healed. None of the seven terminal defects healed. Of the 26 high signal change-positive defects 20 (77%) healed after conservative treatment whereas none of the high signal change-negative defects did so. We concluded that an early-stage defect on CT and high signal change in the adjacent pedicle on a T2-weighted MR scan are useful predictors of bony healing of a pars defect in children after conservative treatment

Aims

The glenohumeral joint is the most frequently dislocated articulation, but possibly due to the lower prevalence of posterior shoulder dislocations, approximately 50% to 79% of posterior glenohumeral dislocations are missed at initial presentation. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the most recent evidence involving the aetiology of posterior glenohumeral dislocations, as well as the diagnosis and treatment.

Aims

The aim of this study was to analyze the results of two radiocapitellar prostheses in a large case series followed prospectively, with medium-term follow-up.

Penetration of the dorsal screw when treating distal radius fractures with volar locking plates is an avoidable complication that causes lesions of the extensor tendon in between 2% and 6% of patients. We examined axial fluoroscopic views of the distal end of the radius to observe small amounts of dorsal screw penetration, and determined the ideal angle of inclination of the x-ray beam to the forearm when making this radiological view. Six volar locking plates were inserted at the wrists of cadavers. The actual screw length was measured under direct vision through a dorsal approach to the distal radius. Axial radiographs were performed for different angles of inclination of the forearm at the elbow. Comparing axial radiological measurements and real screw length, a statistically significant correlation could be demonstrated at an angle of inclination between 5° and 20°. The ideal angle of inclination required to minimise the risk of implanting over-long screws in a dorsal horizon radiological view is 15°. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1101–5

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the clinical application of, and optimize the variables used in, the BACH classification of long-bone osteomyelitis.

Aims

The aim of this study was to investigate the local recurrence rate at an extended follow-up in patients following navigated resection of primary pelvic and sacral tumours.

Aims

The purpose of this study was to determine the functional outcome and implant survivorship of mobile-bearing total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) performed by a single surgeon.

We retrospectively reviewed 30 patients with a diffuse-type giant-cell tumour (Dt-GCT) (previously known as pigmented villonodular synovitis) around the knee in order to assess the influence of the type of surgery on the functional outcome and quality of life (QOL). Between 1980 and 2001, 15 of these tumours had been treated primarily at our tertiary referral centre and 15 had been referred from elsewhere with recurrent lesions. The mean follow-up was 64 months (24 to 393). Functional outcome and QOL were assessed with range of movement and the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society (MSTS) score, the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) and the SF-36 questionnaire. There was recurrence in four of 14 patients treated initially by open synovectomy. Local control was achieved after a second operation in 13 of 14 (93%). Recurrence occurred in 15 of 16 patients treated initially by arthroscopic synovectomy. These patients underwent a mean of 1.8 arthroscopies (one to eight) before open synovectomy. This achieved local control in 8 of 15 (53%) after the first synovectomy and in 12 of 15 (80%) after two. The functional outcome and QOL of patients who had undergone primary arthroscopic synovectomy and its attendant subsequent surgical procedures were compared with those who had had a primary open synovectomy using the following measures: range of movement (114º versus 127º; p = 0.03); KOOS (48 versus 71; p = 0.003); MSTS (19 versus 24; p = 0.02); TESS (75 versus 86; p = 0.03); and SF-36 (62 versus 80; p = 0.01). Those who had undergone open synovectomy needed fewer subsequent operations. Most patients who had been referred with a recurrence had undergone an initial arthroscopic synovectomy followed by multiple further synovectomies. At the final follow-up of eight years (2 to 32), these patients had impaired function and QOL compared with those who had undergone open synovectomy initially. We conclude that the natural history of Dt-GCT in patients who are treated by arthroscopic synovectomy has an unfavourable outcome, and that primary open synovectomy should be undertaken to prevent recurrence or residual disease. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014; 96-B:1111–18

Aims

The aim of this paper was to investigate the prognostic factors for local recurrence in patients with pathological fracture through giant cell tumours of bone (GCTB).

Objectives

The aim of this study was to review the impact of smoking tobacco on the musculoskeletal system, and on bone fractures in particular.