Distal femur segmental gap reconstruction using ipsilateral amputated tibia in trauma setting - A case report.

Background: A 32 year old patient who sustained an ipsilateral Gustilo Anderson 3C open fractures of the distal femur and tibia, following an MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident). The femoral shaft fracture had a 6 cm gap, which was spanned with a tibial diaphyseal autograft harvested from the amputated ipsilateral leg and stabilized with a retrograde intramedullary nail, thus enabling preservation of the knee joint and a functional weight bearing below knee prosthesis.

Conclusion: Distal femur segmental gap reconstruction using ipsilateral amputated tibia in trauma setting was shown to be a feasible surgical technique.

[LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION: PROTRUSION, EXTRUSION OR BULGE? THE PROPER USE OF THE TERMS - HOW AND WHEN WILL IT BE DEFINED AS A DISEASE?].

Lumbar disc herniation is a medical condition in which obscurity exists in the relation between the clinical and the radiological definition. The following paper was written by both surgeons and a radiologist, who are engaged in the field of spine surgery. The aim is to provide clear definitions as to the different pathologies involving disc herniation.

The costs of community-based psychiatric care for first-ever patients. A case register study.

Background: Analysing costs measures in conjunction with psychiatric case register (PCR) data can provide important epidemiologically-based information on resource utilization. Costing the service use patterns of first-ever patients can indicate the shape and likely resource consequences for mental health services operating within a community-based system of care.

Methods: Yearly costs were calculated for the 299 first-ever patients and 768 longer-term patients who contacted the South-Verona Psychiatric Case Register between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 1993.

The use of a case register to evaluate the costs of psychiatric care.

The aim of this study was to show the usefulness of adding cost information to a routine data collection provided by a case register for analysing the association between patients' characteristics and the direct costs of the psychiatric care actually provided. All patients (n = 706) who in 1992 had at least one contact with services which report to the South Verona psychiatric case register and who received an ICD-10 diagnosis were included in the study. The costs of specialist psychiatric care provided during the 365 days following the first contact in 1992 were calculated using a unit cost list.

The cost-effectiveness of community care for adults with learning disabilities leaving long-stay hospital in Northern Ireland.

Among the many questions concerning the replacement of long-stay hospital services with community-based care are those of cost and cost-effectiveness. Is community care more expensive than hospital care? Are levels of expenditure associated with clients' needs and changes in their well-being? By following a cohort of people discharged from seven long-stay hospitals in Northern Ireland, this wide-ranging evaluation was able to address such cost-related questions. Although nearly three-quarters of the sample were living in private sector residential or nursing homes, a six-fold variation in the total costs of support was found.