Der Unfallchirurg
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Nowadays, although minimally invasive procedures are the standard for the treatment of thoracolumbar spinal injuries, these techniques are not yet established for the cervical spine. This is due to anatomical and technical reasons and also due to the fact that the classical anterior decompression and fusion procedure already fulfils the criteria of minimally invasiveness and is suitable for the vast majority of injuries. ⋯ There is a minimally invasive variant for nearly all open procedures, mainly in the upper cervical spine but also in the lower cervical spine. The further development of these promising techniques is still pending.
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Sacral fractures can be of traumatic origin and can also occur as insufficiency fractures. While the therapeutic target of mechanically stable insufficiency fractures is mainly pain relief, mechanically unstable insufficiency fractures and traumatic sacral fractures following high-energy trauma require biomechanical stabilization. Various surgical strategies are available for this, whereby minimally invasive techniques are now preferred whenever possible. ⋯ All surgical options have their indications. Nevertheless, the biomechanical stability which can be achieved differs widely. Therefore, an exact analysis should be carried out of what is necessary with respect to reduction and retention and what should be achieved when treating sacral fractures.
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Bone loss of the distal tibia represents a major challenge for the treating surgeons and the reconstruction technique. This is particularly true for septic bone loss. Several techniques are available, ranging from callus distraction of Ilizarov frames and monorail techniques as well as transport with plates and nails; however, implants for internal segmental transport for bone defects have so far not been available. This case report describes worldwide the first reconstruction of a distal tibial defect by reconstruction of the major arterial flow path with flap coverage and all inside segmental transport using a motorized segmental transport nail without additional osteosynthesis or add-on module.
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Refixation with resorbable implants is a common surgical treatment in patients who suffer an injury with shearing of an osteochondral flake due to trauma of the knee or the upper ankle joint. To date there are no studies which outline long-term outcomes for this procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results after refixation with resorbable polylactide (PLLA) implants. ⋯ Because of good clinical and morphological results shown by MRI, refixation through resorbable implants (PLLA) can be recommended for treatment of traumatic osteochondral flakes.
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Osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint is a common and painful affliction that can be diagnosed using conventional X‑ray imaging as well as arthroscopy and if necessary treated; however, the X‑ray classification often does not sufficiently demonstrate the cartilage damage found in arthroscopy. ⋯ This study presents an arthroscopy classification system that is specific for osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint and provides an additional method of assessment if the X‑ray grading of osteoarthritis according to Eaton and Littler is too unspecific. Arthroscopy can be used to safely differentiate the treatment-relevant stage and also includes treatment options.