Scapulocostal stabilization for scapular winging in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

A surgical procedure has been devised to prevent scapular winging and to increase shoulder abduction in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. The operation improves the limited shoulder abduction and scapular winging caused by the loss of scapular fixation to the thoracic cage, while passive abduction at the glenohumeral joint remains normal. Preventing scapular malrotation by eliminating scapulothoracic motion increases shoulder abduction.

Studies on the mechanism of callus cartilage differentiation and calcification during fracture healing.

The morphologic and biochemical events during fracture callus cartilage differentiation and calcification are presented. 1. Histologic studies have demonstrated that unimmobilized fractures heal through endochondral ossification.

Muscular dystrophy: diagnosis and treatment.

The clinical signs and symptoms of the most common muscular dystrophies are presented. Plans for treatment and genetic counseling are outlined. A new operation for correction of scapular winging is described with illustrative cases.

The ultrastructural cytology and chemical composition of fracture callus cartilage.

The differentiation and calcification of fracture callus cartilage studied by light microscopy resembles that of the epiphyseal plate cartilage. In this study, a correlation between the ultrastructural cytology and the chemical composition of the various cartilage types found in fracture callus was attempted. Fibrocartilage cells were very active with profuse secretion of collagen into the matrix.

Fracture callus cartilage differentiation in vitro.

An in vitro model has been devised to study the differentiation and calcification of fibrocartilage from fracture calluses. Morphological and biochemical studies substantiating cartilage metaplasia in vitro are presented. A role that such a model may play in the study of cartilage calcification is suggested.