Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery
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Diagnostic and clinical features of the frozen shoulder syndrome and the Sudeck syndrome are similar in many aspects. Radioisotope bone scan shows an increased uptake in affected areas in both diseases, while native radiographs show a progressive demineralisation. ⋯ In the immobilised control group with degenerative changes of the rotator cuff, calcifying tendinitis and shoulder instability (n = 12) and in the group of healthy probands (n = 20), the difference between the affected and non-affected side (left and right humerus of the healthy probands) was only more than 21% in one case each. There are several references in the literature that assume frozen shoulder to be an algoneurodystrophic process; our observations support this hypothesis, possibly leading to earlier diagnoses and extended therapeutic management.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jan 2000
Outcome analysis following open rotator cuff repair. Early effectiveness validated using four different shoulder assessment scales.
Evaluation of upper extremity function after reconstructive surgery is increasingly important both to predict outcome and for the control of cost-effectiveness. Three validated, self-administered shoulder questionnaires were applied prospectively in 23 otherwise healthy patients with rotator cuff deficiency and correlated to the Constant-Murley Shoulder Score and a visual analogue scale for satisfaction. Seven women and 16 men with combined tears of supraspinatus and infraspinatus (mean age 55.3 +/- 10.5 years, r/l: 14/9, follow-up 57.8 +/- 15.7 weeks) were gathered prospectively and evaluated pre- and postoperatively with the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Shoulder Index, the Simple Shoulder Test (SST) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Module (DASH questionnaire). ⋯ The DASH scale was the most complex evaluation instrument. The Constant-Murley Shoulder Score comprises a physical examination, which is advantageous but restricts the application to the office. For postoperative assessment without the patient having to return to the clinic, the ASES Shoulder Index is preferred because of its good correlation to the Constant-Murley Shoulder Score (r = 0.871) and the visual analogue scale for satisfaction (r = 0.762).
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jan 2000
Case ReportsDestructive spondyloarthropathy mimicking spondylitis in long-term hemodialysis patients.
A 63-year-old man with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who had been undergoing hemodialysis for 18 years suffered persistent neck pain, progressive quadriparesis, and a deteriorating ataxic gait during the 6 months before admission. A sudden onset of aggravating quadriparesis and an inability to ambulate occurred during his trip to Sydney, Australia, 1 week before this admission. Vertebral tuberculosis osteomyelitis of the C5/6 segment was considered and treated in a hospital there. ⋯ The cervical spine, especially C5/6, is the most common site of DSA. Spinal instability and neurologic compression cause the clinical symptoms and signs. Adequate decompression and successful cervical fusion ensure the best therapeutic results.
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We report a case of a nerve sheath ganglion of the ulnar nerve at the canal of Guyon. This case involved a ganglion which was confined to the epineurium of the ulnar nerve. and it was completely excised without any damage to the nerve fiber. A nerve-sheath ganglion is rare, but it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any tumor which is causing neural disturbance.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jan 2000
Case ReportsLocalization, detection and guided removal of soft tissue in the hands using sonography.
Penetrating wounds and lacerations are frequent pathologies treated in the emergency room. The management of hand trauma represents a large part of the work in any surgical practice. Although X-rays are routinely taken, numerous foreign bodies remain undetected, and the wounds are just locally debrided and the lacerations sutured. ⋯ Usually, in response to continued pain, an ultrasound investigation is ordered, and the pathology becomes apparent. A number of examples are briefly described in order to highlight the present inadequacies. It is suggested that hospital administrators consider the need to provide ultrasonographic services as an integral facility of the emergency room.