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The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 52-B, Issue 3 | Pages 460 - 464
1 Aug 1970
Conner AN Smith MGH

1. Thirty-nine displaced fractures of the lateral humeral condyle in children are reported. In one-third of the children the injury was accompanied by postero-lateral dislocation of the elbow. In some cases there was evidence that dislocation had occurred even when there was little persistent displacement of the condylar fragment.

2. All the fractures were treated by internal fixation with a specially designed screw. Thirtyfive children attended for review.

3. lt is concluded that all displaced fractures should be treated by internal fixation and that the method described is simple and reliable. Undisplaced fractures, or those with little displacement, may be treated conservatively when there is no evidence of associated dislocation of the elbow.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 48-B, Issue 4 | Pages 660 - 665
1 Nov 1966
Blockey NJ Smith MGH

1. The results of treatment of 186 club feet have been reviewed.

2. Early strong repeated manipulation and splintage produced correction in all, but only sixty-five out of 186 remained acceptable at three years. The other 121 relapsed.

3. Relapse occurred in the first year in eight, between twelve and eighteen months in twenty-five, between eighteen and twenty-four months in twenty-three, and between twenty-four and thirty-six months in sixty-five.

4. Relapse was slightly commoner when treatment began after the first month of life.

5. Relapse was treated either by manipulation and plaster or by soft-tissue correction, leaving fifty-two out of 121 acceptable at three years and sixty-nine which were not acceptable (this includes those in plaster after soft-tissue correction, necessitated by relapse around the ages of two and a half and three and is thus adversely loaded).

6. The three year results in 186 feet were studied: 63 per cent were acceptable and 37 per cent were not. Five year results in eighty-seven feet were studied: 87·4 per cent were acceptable and 12·6 per cent were not.

7. Soft-tissue correction is described. It produced 89 per cent acceptable feet but 11 per cent relapses in 280 operations.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 46-B, Issue 3 | Pages 575 - 575
1 Aug 1964
Smith MGH

Dr J. Robert Close has been good enough to point out a misquotation from his article, "Some Applications of the Functional Anatomy of the Ankle Joint"(Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 1956, 38-A, 761) in a later contribution by Mr M. G. H. Smith entitled "Inferior Tibio-fibular Diastasis Treated by Cross-screwing (Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 1963, 45-B, 737). Dr Close, in referring to tibio-fibular diastasis and deltoid ligament rupture with low fractures of the fibula, wrote (p. 780), "Treating diastasis therefore frequently means treatment for the deltoid lesion. When one realises that a certain amount of spreading apart of the malleoli and a certain amount of rotation of the fibula about the tibia are anatomical requirements for normal ankle motion the necessity for later removal of such internal fixation becomes obvious. Screws thus placed have been known to break during normal walking after the fractures have healed." In his paper Mr M. G. H. Smith, making mention of tibio-fibular movement, wrote, "This small range of movement of the fibula at the inferior tibio-fibular joint caused Close (1956) to recommend that screws placed across the joint to maintain reduction of diastasis be removed before weight bearing and movement were commenced. He stated that screws had broken when left in position." Further abbreviation by editorial staff led to the statement actually printed p. (737): "Close (1956) recommended the removal of screws that had been placed across the joint to maintain reduction of diastasis before movement was allowed, because the screws broke when left in position." The inadvertent change in sense unfortunately escaped attention, and we very much regret that Mr Close was thus misquoted.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 46-B, Issue 1 | Pages 50 - 54
1 Feb 1964
Smith MGH

1. Two boys with osteochondritis of the humeral capitulum are described.

2. Similarities between this condition and Perthes' disease are noted.

3. From a review of the reported cases it is concluded 1) that osteochondritis of the capitulum occurs almost exclusively in boys between the ages of four and ten years; 2) that treatment and immobilisation are unnecessary; and 3) that advanced maturation of the epiphysis of the radial head is a possible sequel.


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 45-B, Issue 4 | Pages 737 - 739
1 Nov 1963
Smith MGH

1. Twenty-three patients were treated by cross screwing for diastasis of the tibia and fibula in fractures at the ankle.

2. It is suggested that limitation of ankle dorsiflexion after this treatment was caused by the presence of a mechanical block to dorsiflexion by spur formation at the margins of tibia and talus.

3. An ordinary bone screw controlled the diastasis satisfactorily in twenty patients.

4. The screw did not interfere with movement at the inferior tibio-fibular joint because bone resorption about that part of the screw in the fibula allowed a small range of movement.

5. Discomfort from the screw was relieved by its removal.