Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Dec 2008
Mismatch between PFNa and medullary canal causing difficulty in nailing of the pertrochanteric fractures.
The proximal femoral nail (PFN) and the proximal femoral nail anti-rotation (PFNA) have been successfully used in the management of osteoporotic pertrochanteric fractures. Although many studies have described the geometrical mismatch between the antecurvation of the femur and the contemporary intramedullay nails, technical difficulties related to the mismatch between the femoral bowing and the PFN/PFNA at the time of nailing have rarely been discussed in the literature. We have experienced a technical difficulty related to the mismatch between the medullary canal and the PFN/PFNA. We describe the complications related with the mismatch and the technical pitfalls and some technical tips to avoid this problem are also described.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyPrimary total hip arthroplasty with a flattened press-fit acetabular component in osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis: a prospective study on 416 hips with 6-10 years follow-up.
A flattened cup was designed to create a more physiological load transfer to the pelvic bone compared to hemispherical cups, and to allow more bone contact compared to low-profile' spherical cups. To investigate these theoretical advantages and the potential influence of the quality of the acetabular bone, a clinical study was performed in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and inflammatory arthritis (IA). The aims of the study were (1) to evaluate the fixation of the cup, postoperatively and later when osseous integration should have taken place, (2) to assess perioperative complications such as acetabular fractures and (3) to monitor the polar gap, a potential risk factor for osteolysis. ⋯ This study shows that the flattened press-fit acetabular component creates adequate initial mechanical stability to allow osseous integration and that the cup can be safely used in both OA and IA patients. However, after 6-10 years, in the IA group failure of the cup due to aseptic loosening occurred once and failure due to osteolysis occurred three times, while these type of failures did not occur in the OA group.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Dec 2008
Acute tibial tubercle avulsion fractures in the sporting adolescent.
The authors report 7 cases of acute tibial tubercle avulsion fractures. The fracture occurred in 6 out of the 7, after an abrupt tension of the patellar tendon in male sporting adolescents (age 13-17 years). Two patients presented symptoms of homolateral Osgood-Schlatter's disease before the lesion. ⋯ The mean follow-up was of 4.5 years (1.5-7.5 years). The results were satisfactory: complete functional recovery, resumption of sport at the previous level and absence of recurvatum.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Dec 2008
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyFinancing in knee arthroplasty: a benchmarking analysis.
Flat rate payment and "diagnosis related groups" (DRG) in knee arthroplasty offer incentives to save expenses. A cost-benefit analysis exactly compares all expenses to revenues. This requires patient-related assessment of treatment costs in terms of cost-unit accounting. This study compared expenses of knee arthroplasty in Austrian, German and Swiss clinics. ⋯ The proportion for personnel costs (medical, nursing, med.-tech.) of total costs was higher in Germany (41%) than Austria (26.6%) and Switzerland (39.9%). Implant costs were proportionally nearly the same in Austria (29.5%) than Germany (28%) and Switzerland (28.7%). Administration was proportionally higher in Austria (26.8%) than Germany (19.1%) and Switzerland (11.3%). To lower the costs, the expenses for personnel and implants must be reduced. Ultimately, the potential for hospitals to save costs can be found here.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Dec 2008
Case ReportsAxillary nerve palsy after retrograde humeral nailing: clinical confirmation of an anatomical fear.
Locked antegrade or retrograde nailing of humeral shaft and proximal humerus fractures is a well established treatment option. Anatomic-morphological studies revealed a potential high risk of axillary nerve injury within proximal interlocking screw insertion. However, clinical experiences do not seem to confirm this, as there is a lack of interlocking screw insertion associated axillary lesions in literature. ⋯ Even for clinical practise proximal interlocking screw insertion is associated with a substantial risk of axillary nerve injury. Particularly for posterior-to-anterior screw insertion anatomic conditions should be considered. In spite of axillary nerve lesion, recovery of almost full shoulder function is possible by compensating the loss of deltoid function by rotator cuff muscles.