The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · May 1999
Prospective analysis of preoperative and intraoperative investigations for the diagnosis of infection at the sites of two hundred and two revision total hip arthroplasties.
Total hip arthroplasty is a commonly performed procedure in the United States and Canada that is associated with a definite risk of postoperative infection. Moreover, diagnosing an infection after total hip arthroplasty can present a challenge as there are no preoperative tests that are consistently sensitive and specific for infection in patients who need a revision arthroplasty. The present prospective study was performed to evaluate a variety of investigations for the diagnosis of infection at the site of a previous arthroplasty in order to determine if any combination of diagnostic studies could be used to determine which patients are at risk for a postoperative wound infection. ⋯ The combination of a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein level is reliable for predicting the absence of infection. Aspiration should be used when the erythrocyte sedimentation rate or the C-reactive protein level is elevated or when a clinical suspicion of infection remains. We found the gram stain to be unreliable. Examination of intraoperative frozen sections is useful in equivocal cases or when hematological markers may be falsely elevated because of an inflammatory or other condition.
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · May 1999
Comparison of the natural history, the outcome of microsurgical repair, and the outcome of operative reconstruction in brachial plexus birth palsy.
The purposes of this study were to document the natural history of brachial plexus birth palsy, in relation to the recovery of biceps function, in the first six months of life; to assess the outcome after microsurgical repair of the brachial plexus in patients who had no recovery of biceps function at six months; and to compare the results of transfer of the latissimus dorsi and teres major tendons with the results of derotation osteotomy of the humerus and to compare the results of the tendon transfers and the osteotomy with the natural history of the disorder. ⋯ The present study confirms the observation of Gilbert and Tassin that it is rare for infants who have recovery of biceps function after the age of three months to have complete neurological recovery. Microsurgical repair was effective in improving function in the small subgroup of patients who had no evidence of recovery of biceps function within the first six months of life.