Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jul 2001
Comparative StudyRadiographic evaluation of cervical spine trauma. Plain radiography and conventional tomography versus computed tomography.
Different imaging modalities are available for the diagnosis of cervical spine injuries. There is a controversial discussion about whether plain radiography (PR), conventional tomography (CTO) or computed tomography (CT) should primarily be used. PR and CTO are more often available and less costly than CT. ⋯ For PR and CTO the detection rates were lower for fractures of the dens than for the rest of the cervical spine. We conclude that the combination of PR and CTO accurately detects fractures of the cervical spine compared with CT. If a fracture of the dens is suspected, the patients should be referred to CT due to its superior accuracy in this region.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jul 2001
Recovery after carpal tunnel syndrome operation: the influence of the opposite hand, if operated on in the same session.
In a clinical, retrospectively randomised study, we compared the results of the operation for a carpal tunnel syndrome when one side only or both sides were simultaneously assessed in one session. Of the 125 patients examined, 47.2% had both hands operated on in one session, 52.8% had only one hand operated on in one session or both hands in two sessions. ⋯ These are explained by the necessity of using both hands for daily activities and thus a guaranteed functional follow-up treatment after the bilateral operation. In conclusion, we propose operating on both hands simultaneously whenever possible, even if the opposite hand presents with only a slight CTS, which would otherwise not be considered for operation yet.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jul 2001
Comparative StudyOn the impact of calcified deposits within the rotator cuff tendons in shoulders of patients with shoulder pain and dysfunction.
We wanted to prove the hypothesis that calcified deposits within the rotator cuff tendons are merely an epiphenomenon of complex morphological alterations in the shoulders of patients with shoulder pain and dysfunction. The shoulders of 92 patients with calcified deposits within the rotator cuff tendons as noted on plain radiographs were investigated by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; mean age of patient 51.1 years), as well as the shoulders of 28 age- and sex-matched patients with similar clinical symptoms but without any signs of such calcified deposits on plain radiographs. The MRI protocol comprised a coronal, oblique, T1-weighted, spin-echo sequence, a T2-weighted, turbo spin-echo sequence, a sagittal, oblique, T2-weighted, turbo spin-echo sequence, and an axial, T1-weighted, spin-echo sequence. ⋯ The MRI investigations showed no substantial differences between patients with or without calcified deposits within the rotator cuff tendons, but distinct differences between such patients and healthy, asymptomatic volunteers. For patients with shoulder pain, shoulder dysfunction, and calcified deposits within the rotator cuff tendons, these calcified deposits are most probably not the main cause of the clinical symptoms. Rather, it seems to be useful to consider the results of MRI investigations whenever planning therapeutic procedures for patients with shoulder pain and dysfunction, irrespective of whether or not there are signs of calcified deposits within the rotator cuff tendons on plain radiographs.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jul 2001
Serum acid phosphatase as a tumour marker in giant cell tumour of bone.
The serum acid phosphatase value was examined in nine patients with giant cell tumour of bone. Five showed a high level of acid phosphatase, which fell to within normal limits after surgery. Although the remaining four patients showed a normal acid phosphatase level before surgery, the postoperative acid phosphatase level was lower than the preoperative level in each case. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that serum acid phosphatase is a useful tumour marker in diagnosing giant cell tumour of bone as well as in evaluating the efficacy of treatment.
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Jul 2001
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies on adsorption of amino acids from aqueous solutions onto oxidised titanium surfaces.
Osseointegration is concerned with processes at the cellular level. However, the titanium surface is also capable of interactions with organic structures at the molecular level. These properties of titanium are presented from a physicochemical viewpoint. ⋯ The resulting positions of the adsorbed molecules can be confirmed through evaluation of the line intensities. The results show clearly that there is chemical bonding between the titanium surface and the organic substances. Assuming that a comparable situation occurs in the organism, such processes or similar ones can be viewed as preliminary stages of osseointegration.