Zeitschrift für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie
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Proximal ulna fractures are common injuries in the upper extremity. The severity of injury ranges from isolated olecranon fractures to complex elbow fracture dislocations. ⋯ Furthermore, standard and recent techniques of surgical treatment are described in detail for olecranon and Monteggia fractures as well as for fractures of the coronoid process. Functional outcome and complications of fracture treatment are discussed.
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The success of traffic safety improvement strategies is based on documentation. Analysis and remedy of accident black spots in addition to improvements in automobile production involve the work of traffic engineers, politicians, traffic regulations, police, and medical care. To create priorities, the traffic statistics differentiate accidents in a 3-class system in relation to severe accidents: slightly injured, severely injured and fatally injured (death). This study assesses the validity of the existing classification of "severely injured" compared with the actual injury severity. ⋯ This study shows that the traffic safety classification of "severely injured" people is not sufficient and most severely injured people are not even approximately recorded. We propose that a new continuous link system between police and medical data will be inevitable for future improvements in traffic safety. The use of established trauma scores and a differentiated look at lengths of stay could be an option.
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Vacuum-assisted closure is used frequently for the treatment of posttraumatic osteomyelitis of the extremities. After debridement and repeated VAC dressing changes, the wounds are closed by secondary suture, split-thickness skin grafts or local flaps. However, no objective parameters describe the time point for secondary wound closure. Our thesis was that negative microbiological results from bone specimens can indicate the time for secondary wound closure. Moreover, treatment course and clinical outcome after 3.4 years should be compared to those of other surgical approaches for acute postoperative osteomyelitis from the literature. ⋯ In about one third of the bone biopsies bacteria persisted. This bacterial load had no correlation to wound healing and rate of recurrence after over 3 years. In conclusion, microbiological bone samples are not suitable as an indicator for the time point of secondary wound closure. Compared to other treatment options in acute postoperative osteomyelitis from the literature (especially implantation of local antibiotics), no advantage of vacuum-assisted closure could be shown concerning number of debridements and rate of recurrences.
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Comparative Study
[Posterior and transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF/TLIF) for the treatment of localised segment degeneration of lumbar spine].
Chronic intractable low back pain is one of the most common orthopaedic diagnoses, with an enormous socioeconomic impact. The surgical treatment by posterior transpedicular instrumentation and interbody fusion of the affected segments is an established procedure after exhaustion of conservative therapies. Due to different study data on the clinical and functional results after posterior (PLIF) and transforaminal (TLIF) interbody fusion, our own patient population was analysed retrospectively. ⋯ The data of this study indicate that both TLIF and PLIF techniques are possible surgical treatment methods for patients with resistant chronic low back pain. With both techniques a clear benefit regarding quality of life and function for the operated patients is achievable, if the correct surgical indication is given.
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Anterior screw fixation is a standard treatment procedure in the case of an uncomplicated Anderson-D'Alonzo type II odontoid fracture in younger patients. Insufficient bony screw hold can cause severe procedure-related complications and result in screw breakouts with secondary fracture dislocation. Hence, the procedure is limited to patients with an adequate bone mineral density. ⋯ Two patients with odontoid fractures of Anderson-D'Alonzo type II were operated using anterior screw fixation and additional vertebroplasty of C2 to increase the screw hold. During follow-up a regular bony healing without screw complication was observed. In conclusion, cement-augmented anterior screw fixation of odontoid fractures type II according to Anderson-D'Alonzo and persistent severe osteoporosis can be an alternative to posterior C1/2 spondylodesis in individual cases.