The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Feb 1984
Measurement of knee stiffness and laxity in patients with documented absence of the anterior cruciate ligament.
Thirty-five patients with documented absence of the anterior cruciate ligament were tested on the University of California, Los Angeles, instrumented clinical knee-testing apparatus and we measured the response curves for the following testing modes: anterior-posterior force versus displacement at full extension and at 20 and 90 degrees of flexion; varus-valgus moment versus angulation at full extension and 20 degrees of flexion; and tibial torque versus rotation at 20 degrees of flexion. Absolute values of stiffness and laxity and right-left differences for these injured knees were compared with identical quantities measured previously for a control population of forty-nine normal subjects with no history of treatment for injury to the knee. For both the uninjured knees and the knees without an anterior cruciate ligament, at 20 and 90 degrees of flexion the anterior-posterior laxity was greatest at approximately 15 degrees of external rotation of the foot. ⋯ In the group of anterior cruciate-deficient knees, the patients with an absent medial meniscus showed greater total anterior-posterior laxity in all three positions of knee flexion than did the patients with an intact or torn meniscus. Varus-valgus laxity at full extension increased an average of 1.7 degrees (+36 per cent) for the injured knees, while varus and valgus stiffness decreased 21 per cent and 24 per cent. Absence of the medial meniscus (in a knee with absence of the anterior cruciate ligament) increased varus-valgus laxity at zero and 20 degrees of flexion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Jan 1984
Comparative StudyThe role of computerized tomographic scanning in the evaluation of major pelvic fractures.
Twenty-five patients with double vertical fractures of the pelvic ring had evaluations by both plain radiography and computed-tomography scanning of the pelvis. In eight of the twenty-five patients, the interpretation that was made from the plain radiographs, based on the classification of Pennal et al., changed when additional anatomical information was provided by the computed-tomography scan. We recommend that computed tomography be used for: (1) double vertical fracture-dislocations of the pelvic ring in which plain radiographs are inadequate to judge pelvic stability, (2) fractures of the pelvic ring with extension into the acetabulum, and (3) major injuries to the hemipelvis that are to be treated by open reduction and internal fixation. However, due to the increased cost and radiation exposure, routine computed-tomography scanning is not justified for all injuries to the pelvic ring.
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Oct 1983
Salter-Harris Type-IV injuries of the distal tibial epiphyseal growth plate, with emphasis on those involving the medial malleolus.
Salter-Harris Type-IV fractures of the epiphysis extend through the articular cartilage, epiphysis, physis, and metaphysis and have a high rate of complications secondary to premature partial closure of the physis. In this study we attempted to determine which Type-IV fractures of the distal end of the tibia result in premature partial closure, how the various treatment modalities affect the risk of premature physeal closure, and how the complication itself might be best managed. Thirty-two Type-IV fractures of the distal end of the tibia were seen at the Mayo Clinic during a five-year period. ⋯ A physeal bar was best detected by tomograms made in two planes and by scanograms. Bar formation may be treated by excision of the bar, arrest of the whole physis, osteotomy, or combinations of these procedures. Of the thirteen patients with a triplane fracture and the one with a Type-IV fracture of the lateral part of the plafond, all fourteen were near maturity at the time of injury, and no growth-arrest problems developed.
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Jun 1983
Comparative StudyAmbulation levels of bilateral lower-extremity amputees. Analysis of one hundred and three cases.
One hundred and three bilateral lower-extremity amputees were evaluated to determine their eventual ambulation level. Of thirty-eight bilateral above-the-knee amputees, two with traumatic amputation were prosthetically rehabilitated, while none of the thirty-five with dysvascular amputation were so rehabilitated. Twenty-two of the dysvascular above-the-knee amputees were wheelchair ambulators and thirteen were bedridden. ⋯ Of twenty-one patients with combinations of above-the-knee and below-the-knee amputations, five were prosthetically rehabilitated, including four dysvascular amputees; ten were wheelchair ambulators; and six were bedridden. Of forty-four patients with bilateral below-the-knee amputation, thirty-five were prosthetically rehabilitated and the remaining nine were wheelchair ambulators. Since the success rate for prosthetic rehabilitation is higher for amputees with combination above-the-knee and below-the-knee amputation than for those with bilateral above-the-knee amputation, and again increases for those with bilateral below-the-knee amputation, the significance of preserving the knee joint, even a single knee, cannot be overemphasized.