Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research
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Comparative Study
Comparison of patient outcomes in periarticular and intraarticular local anaesthetic infiltration techniques in total knee arthroplasty.
The use of local infiltration analgesia in the setting of knee arthroplasty is well established. There are no studies to date which have directly compared differences in infiltration techniques. The purpose of this study is to establish if a difference in patient outcomes exists when the infiltrate is injected into the periarticular tissues or directly into the joint. ⋯ Our study is the first we are aware of to directly compare a periarticular to intraarticular injection technique when using local infiltration analgesia for total knee arthroplasty. Our results show no clear statistically significant benefit with either technique. The periarticular group showed a statistically significant reduction in postoperative VAS pain scores alongside a trend in that group toward reduced overall opioid use.
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The thoracolumbar junction is the transition from a stiff (thoracic spine) to a mobile zone (lumbar spine) and is relatively unstable compared with the thoracic and lumbar portions of the spine. The need for anterior reconstruction after a corpectomy has been emphasized by several authors. However, for patients with a relatively short life expectancy, anterior reconstruction may be unnecessary. Posterior instrumentation alone may be sufficient to provide pain relief and stability for such patients. The goal of this study was to assess the postoperative outcomes and survival rates of patients with tumor metastases of the lower thoracic spine and thoracolumbar junction (T10-L1) who underwent transpedicular partial corpectomy without anterior vertebral reconstruction. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that the stability of implants can be maintained up to 28 months with satisfying functional outcome after a palliative posterolateral transpedicular partial corpectomy without anterior reconstruction.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Meta-analysis for dorsally displaced distal radius fracture fixation: volar locking plate versus percutaneous Kirschner wires.
Dorsally displaced distal radius fractures (DDDRF) are frequent injuries in clinical practice. Traditional percutaneous Kirschner wires (K-wire) and open reduction with volar locking plate (VLP) are the two most common surgical fixation techniques used to manage DDDRF. However, there is no current consensual evidence to guide the selection of one technique over the other. Therefore, we undertook a systematic search and meta-analysis to compare clinical outcomes and complications of these two treatment approaches for DDDRF. ⋯ ORIF with VLP fixation provided lower DASH scores and reduced total postoperative complications, most specifically lowering the risk for postoperative superficial infection compared to K-wire fixation over a 1-year follow-up period. However, superficial pin track infections do not cause clinical debility in the vast majority of cases. Thus, the claim of reduced superficial infection rate may not be clinically important. The only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that at present, there is insufficient data even on our meta-analysis to help the clinician make an informed choice.