Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Feb 2002
Comparative StudyAdjacent segment degeneration after lumbar spinal posterolateral fusion with instrumentation in elderly patients.
This retrospective study investigated adjacent segments radiologically and clinically after posterolateral fusion of the lumbar spine with instrumentation. Thirty-two patients over 60 years old with a postoperative follow-up of at least 4 years were included. These patients all met the criteria of a postoperative symptom-free period of over 2 years, evident fusion mass seen on plain radiographs, and no implant breakage or loosening. ⋯ However, no statistically significant difference (p = 0.7878) was found according to the Fisher exact test. Comparing the effect of different types of instruments, there still was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.1161) between the VSP plate and Isola rod groups in inducing degeneration of adjacent segments after posterolateral fusion of the lumbar spine. After measuring the mobility of degenerated adjacent segments, relative hypermobility was more likely responsible for the accelerated degeneration rather than the absolute increase of mobility.
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Malignant lymphoma of bone is rare. In many cases, its diagnosis is delayed because of unspecific clinical signs and equivocal radiographs. Therapy in general is multimodal, including surgery and radio- and chemotherapy. ⋯ Treatment generally is conservative, based on the stage of the disease. Local radiation with or without systemic chemotherapy should be used. The long-term survival is favorable, but dependent on the stage of the disease and the amount of bone involvement.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Feb 2002
Case ReportsFatal retroperitoneal hemorrhage caused by perforation of a guidewire pin for proximal femur fixation.
A 77-year-old woman with a slightly displaced intertrochanteric two-fragment fracture of the left hip was treated by internal fixation using a screw-nail device (gamma nail). After the operation she became hemodynamically unstable, and ultrasound revealed a large retroperitoneal fluid accumulation in the left lower abdomen. ⋯ However, despite the successful treatment of the retroperitoneal hemorrhage, the patient developed an oligosymptomatic myocardial infarction associated with clinical evidence of a cerebrovascular insult and pulmonary decompensation and died 2 weeks after her accident. The hemorrhage in this patient was most likely caused by surgical damage to the obturator artery during placement of the guidewire pin (with threaded tip) to position the screw of the implant.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Feb 2002
Conservative treatment of Garden stage I femoral neck fracture in elderly patients.
We reviewed 38 patients aged 65 years and older with fresh Garden stage I femoral neck fractures treated nonsurgically to determine factors that influence fracture union. The mean follow-up period was 20 (range 6-86) months. Twenty-three (61%) fractures united within 6 months after injury, while 15 (39%) failed to unite. ⋯ The incidence of union was considerably higher (p < 0.05) in patients who began ambulation 20 days or later after injury than in those who began within 19 days. There was no statistical difference in the amount of valgus or retroversion of the femoral head between patients whose fractures united and those whose fractures did not. Patients without severe dementia regained the ability to walk significantly more frequently than did patients with severe dementia (p < 0.05).
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Feb 2002
Case ReportsOsteolytic lesion in the greater trochanter mimicking tumor.
Two patients with an osteolytic lesion of the greater trochanter suggesting a malignant bone tumor are presented. Biopsy, microbiological and histological examination suggested a diagnosis of trochanteric tuberculosis. Treatment consisted of multiple surgical debridements and antituberculous chemotherapy. The incidence of similar cases is expected to increase with the rising incidence of tuberculosis.