Journal of pediatric orthopedics
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This investigation was undertaken to determine the value of a routine radiological consultation on all examinations taken during the course of evaluation and treatment of children with elective orthopedic problems. Shriners Hospital in Los Angeles treats children with chronic orthopedic problems. All radiographs are ordered by an orthopedic surgeon. ⋯ The data do not show evidence of significant misinterpretations in the readings by the orthopedic surgeons. Therefore routine radiological consultation for all examinations is unnecessary in that specific setting. If a policy change were instituted, it would represent a major saving in health-care costs.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Epidural analgesia for postoperative pain control in children.
Ninety-eight continuous postoperative epidurals were administered to 87 children. The patients were divided into two groups: group I included 63 cases in which a 0.0625-0.25% solution of bupivacaine was continuously administered; group II included 35 cases in which a similar solution of bupivacaine mixed with 2-10 micrograms of fentanyl was administered. The dose of the epidural medication was titrated by the anesthesiologist according to the patient's age and anticipated level of postoperative pain. ⋯ Supplemental analgesia averaging 0.132 mg intravenous morphine/kg/8 h was required in 49 cases (41 in group I and eight in group II). In group I, the average dose of supplemental analgesia was 0.144 mg intravenous morphine/kg/8 h, whereas in group II, it was only 0.056 mg intravenous morphine/kg/8 h. Continuous epidural analgesia is effective in controlling postoperative pain, and the addition of fentanyl reduces the need for systemic narcotics.
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Comparative Study
Radiation exposure during skeletal traction treatment of pediatric femoral fractures.
Radiation-exposure data during femoral fracture management has not been previously reported. We report a retrospective analysis of radiation exposure in 45 patients aged 5-12 years (average, 8.3) with isolated femoral shaft fractures treated by 90/90 degrees femoral skeletal traction. ⋯ Total average radiation dose before casting was 0.699 rads and was independent of age and gender. In addition to potential complications of tractions and increased hospital stay with attendant fiscal and psychosocial burdens, radiation exposure with this type of management, in this series, was significant.
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Review Case Reports
Intraoperative sonography-guided removal of radiolucent foreign bodies.
This article reports our use of intraoperative sonography to guide in real time, the removal of radiolucent foreign bodies from five patients. Two of these patients had undergone previous unsuccessful attempts at surgical removal in the operating room. The technique is cost effective, readily available, and can be very helpful in locating difficult-to-find radiolucent foreign bodies at the time of surgery.
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Patients with cerebral palsy often develop rotational deformities of the lower extremities. These deformities may be caused by abnormal muscle tone, soft-tissue contractures, or bony malalignment. When rotational deformity persists after correction of the soft-tissue components, bony-realignment procedures are warranted to improve gait in ambulatory patients. ⋯ Gait velocity improved but not significantly. Moment data demonstrated a trend toward normal. This study demonstrates that the derotational distal tibial and fibular osteotomy stabilized with percutaneous crossed Kirschner wires is a safe, reliable, and effective procedure for correcting rotational deformities of the leg in patients with cerebral palsy.