Acta orthopaedica
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Both unicondylar arthroplasty (UKA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are commonly used for the treatment of unicompartmental osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The long-term survivorship and cost-effectiveness of these two treatments have seldom been compared on a nationwide level, however. We therefore compared the survival of UKA with that of TKA and conducted a cost-benefit analysis comparing UKA with TKA in patients with primary OA. ⋯ At a nationwide level, UKA had significantly poorer long-term survival than TKA. What is more, UKA did not even have a theoretical cost benefit over TKA in our study. Based on these results, we cannot recommend widespread use of UKA in treatment of unicompartmental OA of the knee.
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There is a lack of national epidemiological data on the characteristics of patients with tibial shaft fractures. We therefore analyzed data on Swedish patients with tibial shaft fractures in this nationwide population study based on data from 1998 through 2004. ⋯ This nationwide study of tibial shaft fractures shows a falling off of fracture incidence, a finding that can be used to advantage by healthcare providers.
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The classification and treatment of thoracolumbar injuries remain controversial. The Spine Trauma Study Group (STSG) has developed a classification system that has prognostic significance and helps guide treatment decisions. ⋯ A severity score is used in conjunction with the classification system to help guide treatment decisions. This classification system has been shown to have good inter- and intra-observer reliability.