Der Unfallchirurg
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Arthrofibrosis is a disabling complication after knee trauma and surgery and is characterised clinically by joint stiffness. Due to an immune response, the proliferation of fibroblasts and synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins are increased. The cytokines transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are critical players in tissue fibrosis, stimulating cell proliferation and the production of various extracellular matrix proteins. ⋯ Both cytokines could be detected subsynovially around inflammatory cells. The profibrotic cytokines TGF-beta and PDGF play an important role in the pathogenesis of arthrofibrosis. Both cytokines are key mediators of tissue fibrosis.
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Sinus tarsi syndrome, described by O'Connor in 1958 and Brown in 1960, is a clinical finding often seen after an accident, consisting of a painful reaction to pressure on the sinus tarsi. This syndrome has also been described in dancers, volleyball and basketball players, overweight individuals, and patients with foot deformities (flatfoot). We looked for mechanical and functional macroscopic structures in the canalis and sinus tarsi that can be associated with sinus tarsi syndrome in order to deduce therapeutic consequences. ⋯ While contracting the long extensor muscles of the toes, the ligament forms a control mechanism for the longitudinal arch of the foot in the moving phase. A question is how variations in vascularization or disorders in innervation will alter the turgor of the pads of fat tissue. That is, such alterations would influence the distribution of synovia in the neighboring joints as well as the tension of the involved ligaments.
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These injuries are extremely rare and severe. The literature describes only individual cases of such injuries. We report a case of a displaced fracture of the talar neck with a complete posterior dislocation and rotation of the body of the talus (Hawkins type III) associated with medial malleolus fracture, treated with the method of urgent open reduction and internal fixation of the talar neck and medial malleolus as well as with the method of distraction external fixation. ⋯ Three years postinjury, movements in the ankle joint were satisfactory (plantar flexion 35 degrees , dorsal flexion up to 10 degrees , moderately limited movements in the subtalar joint). There were no signs of avascular necrosis; the patient walked normally and went back to physical work 2 years postinjury. Urgent open reduction and internal fixation of the Hawkins type III fracture with dislocation of the talus and distraction external fixation can play an important role in the prevention of avascular necrosis of the talus and other complications which follow this injury.
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Paralysis of elbow flexion or extension leads to major impairment of upper extremity function. Surgical reconstruction can be achieved using several procedures. If the time interval since the nerve injury is short, anatomic reconstruction by means of nerve suture or nerve transplantation should be attempted. ⋯ Latissimus dorsi transfer to reconstruct elbow flexion is also indicated in defects of the anterior upper arm muscle compartiment due to trauma, ischemia, or tumor. Patients with proximal radial nerve lesions may benefit from latissimus transfer to reachieve elbow flexion extension. In tetraplegic patients, elbow extension is restored mainly by transfer of the posterior deltoid muscle extended with a tendon graft, or by means of a biceps-to-triceps transfer.
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Penetrating chest trauma involving the heart is usually known with a high mortality rate. Neither the absence of hemodynamic depression nor ECG changes exclude a potential fatal injury to the heart. We report on the diagnosis and definitive treatment of a stab wound injury with transected coronary artery, concomittant ventricular penetration, and pulmonary injury. ⋯ Transthoracic echocardiography in the emergency room is the diagnostic tool of choice to exclude/confirm a potential cardiac injury. In the case of pericardial effusion, paracentesis sometimes followed by thoracotomy should be performed. The importance of rapid diagnosis and intervention should be emphasized to reduce mortality due to cardiac tamponade or acute myocardial infarction as illustrated by this case.