Treatment of Fractures of the Thoracolumbar Spine: Recommendations of the Spine Section of the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma (DGOU).

Study Design: consensus paper with systematic literature review.

Objective: The aim of this study was to establish recommendations for treatment of thoracolumbar spine fractures based on systematic review of current literature and consensus of several spine surgery experts.

Methods: The project was initiated in September 2008 and published in Germany in 2011.

Surgical therapy of vertebral metastases. Are there predictive parameters for intraoperative excessive blood loss despite preoperative embolization?

Aims And Background: Preoperative embolization of vertebral metastases has been shown to lower intraoperative blood loss. Nevertheless, excessive up to life-threatening blood loss can occur despite embolization. We therefore decided to evaluate possible parameters for predicting significant blood loss in a surgically homogeneous group of patients with vertebral metastases.

Intramedullary k-wire fixation of metacarpal fractures.

Introduction: The majority of metacarpal fractures can be treated conservatively. Nevertheless, surgical treatment is justified in certain cases. Palmar dislocation of >30 degrees and shortening of >5 mm will significantly affect extension and flexion of the hand.

Unreamed tibia nail (UTN) bending: case report and problem solution.

Background: An unreamed tibia nail (UTN), implanted for operative stabilization of the tibia after a distal shaft fracture of the lower leg, was bent by excessive load prematurely applied during the healing process, whereby the cross-section-dependent maximum torque permitted in the edge fiber of the UTN during bending load was exceeded. Straightening of the bent, not broken UTN by hand was impossible. Therefore, the bent UTN could only be removed by causing additional damage to the tibia, which is why bending of the nail must be avoided.

Expression pattern and regulation of heme oxygenase-1/heat shock protein 32 in human liver cells.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a stress response protein that is highly inducible under various conditions, such as oxidative or heat stress. The present study investigated expression pattern and regulation of HO-1 in human liver. Expression pattern of HO-1 immunoreactive protein was studied in liver biopsies by immunohistochemistry, revealing constitutive expression in Kupffer cells but not in hepatocytes.