Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery
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We studied a rare case of old dorsal displacement fracture of the trapezoid. Favorable results were obtained with sugical reduction, despite the fracture being old.
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Injection techniques and immunohistochemical methods (antibodies against laminin) were performed to uncover the vascular pattern of the human tibialis anterior tendon with regard to spontaneous rupture of this tendon. Proximally, the blood supply of the tibialis anterior tendon mainly arises from the anterior tibial artery. Distally, the tendon is supplied by branches of the medial tarsal artery. ⋯ In the anterior half of the tendon, there is an avascular zone between 45 and 67 mm in length. The location of the avascular zone correlates well with the location of the most frequent site of spontaneous rupture of the tibialis anterior tendon reported in the literature. Hypovascularity has to be considered as an etiological cofactor for spontaneous rupture of the tibialis anterior tendon.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jan 1999
Regeneration process of mechanoreceptors in the reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament.
We performed reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the rabbit using a free bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) graft and evaluated nerve regeneration in the graft. The right ACL of 15 Japanese white rabbits was resected and reconstructed using a BTB graft. The BTB and ACL from the contralateral knee served as controls. ⋯ The appearance of mechanoreceptors in the graft between 2 and 4 weeks postoperatively suggests that regeneration of mechanoreceptors occurred during this time period. At 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively, there was no significant difference in the number of mechanoreceptors between the intra-articular portion of grafted tendon and the contralateral ACL. The further increase between 4 and 8 weeks to control levels suggests that this regeneration may restore mechanoreceptors in BTB grafts to normal levels.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jan 1999
Case ReportsInsufficiency fractures, an often unrecognized diagnosis.
Diagnosis of sacral insufficiency fractures is difficult since the onset is mild, and usually discomfort is attributed to degeneration of the lumbar spine. Computed tomography and radionuclide bone scans are helpful in making the diagnosis, as regular X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging usually fail to demonstrate the fracture.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jan 1999
Beneficial effect of basic fibroblast growth factor on the repair of full-thickness defects in rabbit articular cartilage.
The effects of exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the repair of full-thickness cartilage defects were examined. Four-millimeter diameter, cylindrical defects were made in rabbit articular cartilage and were filled with human recombinant bFGF. The addition of bFGF to the defect induced the formation of a thick cartilage layer composed of chondrocytes and a metachromatic-stained matrix after 6 weeks. ⋯ Immunohistochemical analysis of the tissues at 6-12 weeks with an anti-bFGF monoclonal antibody suggested that a single application of bFGF increased the number of differentiating chondrocytes that synthesized bFGF at a high level. In contrast, immunostaining of the tissues at 6-12 weeks with a monoclonal antibody against proliferating cell nuclear antigen showed that the number of proliferating cells in the bFGF-treated tissue was fewer than in the untreated tissue. These findings suggest that administration of bFGF into cartilagenous defects promotes the differentiation of chondrocytes and their matrix synthesis, and that this growth factor is useful for improving cartilage repair.