Intramedullary rods manufactured from polyacetal were used to fix diaphyseal fractures in osteoporotic bone. They are pliable and can be introduced without further damage to such bone. Their low elastic modulus induces abundant callus. They can be locked with cortical bone screws without the need of jigs or
Lateral oblique radiographs are considered important for the identification of spondylolytic lesions, but these projections will give a clear view only when the radiological beam is in the plane of the defect. We studied the variation in orientation of spondylolytic lesions on CT scans of 34 patients with 69 defects. There was a wide variation of angle: only 32% of defects were orientated within 15° of the 45° lateral oblique plane. Lateral oblique radiographs should not be considered as the definitive investigation for spondylolysis. We suggest that CT scans with reverse gantry angle are now more appropriate than oblique
Inter-observer agreement and reproducibility of opinion were assessed for the
Forty-four rabbits were operated on when five weeks old; in one group a 2 mm drill-hole was made in the intercondylar portion of the right femur across the central portion of the growth plate up to the diaphysis, while in the other group a similar drill-hole of 3.2 mm was made. At 3, 6, 12 and 24 weeks after operation, specimens from the growth plates of both femora were analysed using
A prospective study was made of 119 children with transient synovitis or any other cause for synovial effusion and elevated intra-articular pressure. During a follow-up of one year not one case of Perthes' disease was diagnosed and the late clinical and
Splitting fractures of the humeral head are rare; part of the humeral head dislocates and the unfractured part remains attached to the shaft. We report eight cases in young patients. In five the diagnosis was made at presentation: three had minimal internal fixation using a superior subacromial approach, one had a closed reduction and one a primary prosthetic replacement. All five patients regained excellent function with no avascular necrosis at two years. In three the injury was initially unrecognised; two developed a painless bony ankylosis and one is awaiting hemiarthroplasty. It is important to obtain the three trauma
We have reviewed 61 children treated for septic arthritis from 1972 to 1981. The diagnosis in all cases was confirmed by bacteriology or by
We report the cases of three children with chronic injuries of the medial tibial malleolus caused by traction injuries during sport. All three had the triad of swelling of the medial malleolus, tenderness over its anterior part, and pain on forced valgus movement of the foot.
Two boys with entrapment of the median nerve in the elbow joint after closed reduction of a posterior dislocation with fracture of the medial epicondyle showed a characteristic radiological sign in the anteroposterior radiograph after two to three months. The sign was a depression in the cortex on the ulnar side of the distal humeral metaphysis, with interruption of the local periosteal reaction. At operation in both patients the depression was found to correspond with the place where the median nerve reached the posterior surface of the humerus.
Although an osteosarcoma appears to be a solitary lesion clinically, as in this instance, only routine
A technique for epiphysiodesis using a cannulated tubesaw has been developed to combine the precision of the original Phemister method with newer percutaneous methods. The approach is unilateral, and requires minimal access. Reinsertion of the removed core of bone reduces haemorrhage from the defect and augments arrest of the growth plate. In 35 patients treated by this method predicted discrepancies of 2 to 4.5 cm were reliably reduced to 0.7 ± 0.6 cm, with no serious complications. The timing of surgery is critical, and relies upon careful monitoring of the pattern of discrepancy over several years, using clinical and
Out of a total of 623 patients who, over a ten-year period, underwent primary total knee replacement (TKR) without patellar resurfacing, 20 underwent secondary resurfacing for chronic anterior knee pain. They were evaluated pre- and postoperatively using the clinical and radiological American Knee Society score. The mean follow-up was 36.1 months (12 to 104). The mean knee score improved from 46.7 to 62.2 points and the mean functional score from 44.7 to 52.2 points. Only 44.4% of the patients, however, reported some improvement; the remainder reported no change or deterioration. The
We compared the results of primary ultrasonographic examination of 163 children with 224 suspected fractures with the subsequent radiological findings. The aim was to assess the value of ultrasound in the diagnosis of fractures in children. We found a good correlation for fractures of the long bones of the upper and lower limbs. Ultrasound was most reliable for the detection of simple femoral and humeral diaphyseal fractures and fractures of the forearm. It was less dependable for compound injuries and fractures adjacent to joints, lesions of the small bones of the hand and foot, non-displaced epiphyseal fractures (Salter-Harris type 1) or those with a fracture line of less than 1mm. We were able to distinguish several types of fracture in which the use of ultrasound alone gave reliable information and further
The objective of this study was to investigate bone healing after
internal fixation of displaced femoral neck fractures (FNFs) with
the Dynamic Locking Blade Plate (DLBP) in a young patient population
treated by various orthopaedic (trauma) surgeons. We present a multicentre prospective case series with a follow-up
of one year. All patients aged ≤ 60 years with a displaced FNF treated
with the DLBP between 1st August 2010 and December 2014 were included.
Patients with pathological fractures, concomitant fractures of the
lower limb, symptomatic arthritis, local infection or inflammation,
inadequate local tissue coverage, or any mental or neuromuscular
disorder were excluded. Primary outcome measure was failure in fracture
healing due to nonunion, avascular necrosis, or implant failure
requiring revision surgery.Aims
Patients and Methods
Preserving growth following limb-salvage surgery of the upper
limb in children remains a challenge. Vascularized autografts may
provide rapid biological incorporation with the potential for growth
and longevity. In this study, we aimed to describe the outcomes
following proximal humeral reconstruction with a vascularized fibular
epiphyseal transfer in children with a primary sarcoma of bone.
We also aimed to quantify the hypertrophy of the graft and the annual
growth, and to determine the functional outcomes of the neoglenofibular
joint. We retrospectively analyzed 11 patients who underwent this procedure
for a primary bone tumour of the proximal humerus between 2004 and
2015. Six had Ewing’s sarcoma and five had osteosarcoma. Their mean
age at the time of surgery was five years (two to eight). The mean
follow-up was 5.2 years (1 to 12.2).Aims
Patients and Methods
A strong clinical impression exists that joint lavage often provides symptomatic relief for painful osteoarthritis of the knee. A controlled trial was conducted to test this hypothesis. A group of 37 painful osteoarthritic knees were treated by arthroscopic lavage and physiotherapy, and a control group of 24 knees were treated by physiotherapy alone. There was better relief of pain in the lavage group, and the effect was still present at one year. An improvement in the signs of inflammation lasted for about three months. Pain was relieved more effectively in patients with slight
Fresh frozen allogeneic tendon was used to reconstruct the lateral ligaments in 17 ankles. Two or more years later, 13 returned for follow-up examination. The mean age at operation was 23 years (range 15 to 39); the interval between injury and operation varied from six months to 20 years. There were no infections and no immunological rejections, and according to Sefton's criteria, nine patients were excellent and four good. No patient complained of instability of the ankle and stress
We conducted a study to identify factors that are prognostic
of the outcome of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) for calcific
tendinitis of the shoulder. Since 1998, patients with symptomatic calcific tendinitis of
the rotator cuff have been treated with ESWT using an electrohydraulic
mode shockwave device. One year after ESWT, patients were grouped
according to the level of resorption of calcification.Aims
Patients and Methods
Advances in polyethylene (PE) in total hip arthroplasty
have led to interest and increased use of highly crosslinked PE
(HXLPE) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Biomechanical data suggest
improved wear characteristics for HXLPE inserts over conventional
PE in TKA. Short-term results from registry data and few clinical
trials are promising. Our aim is to present a review of the history
of HXLPEs, the use of HXLPE inserts in TKA, concerns regarding potential mechanical
complications, and a thorough review of the available biomechanical
and clinical data. Cite this article:
We compared the clinical outcome with femoral subsidence and