[Autotransfusion and hemodilution in orthopedic surgery in children].

The risk of transmitting viral diseases is a constant worry for those who perform blood transfusions. In the last three years several techniques were used to avoid homologous blood transfusions. Four series of patients were evaluated: 1st series: Only homologous blood transfusions (27 cases); 2nd series: Acute normovolaemic haemodilution during surgery (20 cases); 3rd series: Autologous blood storage prior to surgery and haemodilution during surgery (20 cases); 4th series: Blood storage prior to surgery + haemodilution + Trinitine perfusion during surgery (44 cases).

[Femur lengthening in children and adolescents. Comparative study of a series of 82 cases].

The authors reviewed 82 cases of femur lengthenings performed in 71 children and adolescents during a period of 15 years. They successively used 6 technics, the one-stage lengthening 14 times, the Judet technic 20 times, the Wagner technic 13 times, a personal technic combining the transversal osteotomy and a grafting 11 times, the llizarov technic 4 times, the callotasis technic 20 times. They study the complications faced, according to the technic, the etiology, the importance of the shortening, the age, and the repetition of the procedure.

[Old post-traumatic dislocation of the radial head in children].

27 cases of neglected post-traumatic dislocations of the radius head were followed up for 30 years. 23 of the cases were neglected Monteggia fractures. The treatment varied over the years from no therapy to the presently used technique of cubital osteotomy associated with surgical repositioning to the radius dislocation.

[Coral substituted for bone grafting in posterior vertebral arthrodesis in children. Initial results].

The authors used natural coral as a substitutive element to bone supply in children in need of posterior vertebral graft. The use of natural coral was part of a protocol aiming at diminishing peroperative bleeding, and as far as possible, at doing away with resorting to homotransfusion. After reviewing the biological, experimental and clinical bases, the authors studied 49 cases of posterior vertebral fusion instrumented with the Cotrel-Dubousset device and with natural coral grafts.

[The peroperative isotopic location of osteoid osteomas and other lesions exhibiting increased uptake on scintigraphy].

The technique, advantages and pitfalls of the isotopic localization and control during operation in orthopaedic surgery were evaluated throughout 28 interventions on lesions, which exhibited an increased uptake of a radioactive bone-seeker: the dimethyl-aminodiphosphonate, provisionally designated SF44 (Laboratoires Solabco, Coutras, France). For bone scanning, following the injection of this radiopharmaceutical that increased by 25% the lesion to normal bone ratio compared to the data for the diphosphonates in current use, the localization of lesions at surgical sites was carried out with the use of a sterilisable small radiation probe of a circular cross section 2 mm in diameter (Quartz et Silice, Paris, France). The probe was connected to a portable electronic device that converted the rates of radioactive disintegration into an acoustic signal, which increased with increasing radioactivity (Novelec, Meylan, France).