Fixator-assisted nailing of tibial fractures: New surgical technique and presentation of first 30 cases

Background

Intramedullary nailing is considered a “gold standard” for treatment of tibial shaft fractures. However, some types of fractures are typically considered as “difficult for nailing”. This group includes the periarticular fractures, fractures of both bones at the same level, comminuted and segmental fractures of the tibia. Fixator-assisted nailing (FAN) is an effective method treatment of these types of fractures. The main requirements for the ideal reduction device are an ease of its installation and an ability of multiplanar fracture reduction. Fixator-assisted nailing (FAN) with the use of two perpendicular to each other monolateral tubular frames perfectly meets these requirements. In this study we present this new surgical technique and the analysis of first 30 cases.

Bone-ligament transfer of coracoacromial ligament for acromioclavicular dislocation: A new fixation method used in 6 cases

We treated 6 grade III acromioclavicular injuries with a new fixation method using a bone-ligament transfer of the coracoacromial ligament into a clavicular tunnel. After an average of 16 months, function and cosmesis were excellent in all patients.     

Balanced chromosome translocations and abnormal phenotypes. A report of 5 cases

Five cases in which phenotypic abnormalities were found in association with apparent balanced chromosomal translocations are described. In 3 patients, one of the parents was found to be a carrier of the same translocation. In a further patient, the translocation was shown to be de novo and in the remaining patient the father was not available for chromosome studies. In a review of the literature the breakpoints in 36 familial balanced translocations were compared with 40 de novo translocations (including the present cases) all associated with phenotypic abnormalities. No common translocation was found in these groups, but it was observed that chromosomes 4 and 5 were significantly more involved in de novo translocations than in familial translocations. The possible aetiology and implications for prenatal diagnoses are discussed.     

Syntactic language processing: ERP lesion data on the role of the basal ganglia.

The role of the basal ganglia in syntactic language processing was investigated with event-related brain potentials in fourteen neurologically impaired patients. Seven of these patients had basal ganglia lesions while 7 other patients primarily had lesions of the left temporo-parietal region excluding the basal ganglia. All patients listened to sentences that were either correct or included a verb argument structure violation. In previous experiments this type of violation elicited a biphasic pattern of an N400-P600 complex in young healthy participants. While the N400 may result from incorrect semantic-thematic role assignment, the P600 reflects the fact that verb information does not license the syntactic structure at present. Results of the patient experiment revealed a double dissociation: patients with left temporo-parietal lesions only show a P600, whereas patients with lesions of the basal ganglia showed no P600, but a negativity with extended duration that resembled an N400. The latter pattern not only confirms previous reports that the basal ganglia modulate the P600 but extends these results by showing that the N400 as a late semantic-thematic integration process appears partially modulated by the basal ganglia.     

Vascular surgical reconstructions in orthopedic tumor operations

The surgical treatment of bone tumors today results more and more in a radical resection therapy. The major vessels are often included in the tumor mass and therefore they have to be resected and reconstructed. Between 1981-1986 30 patients of the Orthopaedic University Clinic in Vienna were treated with tumor resection. The arterial and/or venous reconstruction was done in cooperation with the I. Department of Surgery of the University of Vienna. In 73% of the cases rotation plasty of the knee was performed, in 10% a local tumor resection and in 7% a tumor resection and reconstruction by a tumor endoprosthesis (KMFTR-system). Three patients underwent partial pelvic resection, hemipelvectomy and rotation plasty of the hip respectively.     

Solitary bronchioloalveolar carcinoma: CT criteria

The computed tomographic (CT) scans of 30 patients with solitary bronchioloalveolar carcinoma were reviewed. Common features at CT included the peripheral or subpleural location of a pulmonary mass (25 cases), pseudocavitation (18 cases), heterogeneous attenuation (17 cases), irregular margins forming a star pattern (22 cases), and pleural tags (21 cases). Using these CT criteria, four independent observers attempted to identify cases of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma from a larger sample of lung cancers and benign lesions by categorizing a series of test cases into four probability categories. Although the bronchioloalveolar carcinomas were correctly ranked in the two highest probability categories 75% of the time (in 45 of 60 cases), there was considerable overlap with other lung lesions, particularly with adenocarcinoma and large cell undifferentiated carcinoma. However, even though the typical features of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma are not invariable or highly specific, they are characteristic enough to suggest the diagnosis.     

Application of porous bioceramic in experimental therapy of bone injuries. I. Morphological and histochemical studies in the control animals

The process of healing of the rabbits' bone tissue after mechanical injury was studied. The femoral bone was injured by means of oscillating saw. The animals were killed 3, 6, 9, 14, 18 and 30 days after operation and the callus with the surrounding periosteum was taken for morphological examination. Besides, acid mucopolysaccharides level and aminopeptidase activity in the callus (up to the 18th day of healing) were determined. The time of total bone union was established for 30 days.