[Mild head injury].

Mild injuries to the head are a common everyday occurrence. Only one out of 30,000 patients suffering mild traumatization of the brain subsequently goes on to develop a complication that requires treatment. Such patients can be identified on the basis of the Glasgow Coma Scale and the determination of risk factors, and these data also serve as an aid for deciding whether surveillance at home or hospitalization is indicated.

[Morbidity and mortality in para-articular femoral fractures in advanced age. Results of a prospective study].

Unlabelled: This study was designed to determine risk factors and individual dispositions associated with morbidity and mortality in the operative treatment of hip fractures in elderly patients.

Patients And Methods: In a prospective clinical trial, a consecutive series of 278 patients (mean age: 78.7 +/- 6.

[Laser-assisted induction of arthrosis].

In a controlled experimental trial the induction of gonarthrosis following laser-assisted meniscectomy was assessed. A XeCl excimer laser (lambda = 308 nm, pulsewidth 20 ns, repetition rate 10-70 Hz, radiant exposure 10-40 mJ/mm2) and a continuous wave Nd:YAG laser (lambda = 1064 nm, energy density 21-93 W/mm2) were employed in connection with 600-micrometer and 800-micrometer quartz fibers, respectively. In an animal model, effects on the remaining meniscus and the corresponding cartilage surfaces were studied in vivo within an observation period of 6 months.

[Prognostic significance of surgical morbidity in management of coxal femoral fracture in the elderly patient].

The influence of operative morbidity on clinical long-term results is evaluated in a prospective study employing a consecutive series of 120 patients (mean age, 82.5 +/- 4.7 years) with operatively treated fractures of the coxal femur.

[Morphologic, biomechanical and experimental in vivo studies of laser-assisted meniscus resection].

Arthroscopic meniscectomy is associated with an irregularly shaped resection rim leading to further degeneration and a considerable rate of iatrogenic lesions to the adjacent cartilage. In a controlled experimental trial the clinical value of laser-assisted meniscectomy was assessed with special reference to whether laser application can overcome these common shortcomings of conventional surgery. An XeCl excimer laser (lambda = 308 nm, pulsewidth: 20 ns, repetition rate: 10-70 Hz, radiant exposure: 10-50 mJ/mm2) and a continuous wave Nd:YAG laser (lambda = 1064 nm, energy density: 21-93 W/mm2) were used with 600 microns and 800 microns quartz fibers, respectively.

Laser synovectomy of the knee joint. Experimental results on a new approach to joint surgery.

The clinical impact of laser-assisted synovectomy was investigated in a two-part study consisting of a morphological part with morphometric measurements and an in vivo part using an animal model. A continuous wave Nd:YAG laser (lambda = 1064 nm; power density 18-106 W/mm2; exposure 0.5-5 s) and a XeCl excimer laser (lambda = 308 nm; pulsewidth 20 ns; repetition rate 10-70 Hz; energy density 20-45 mJ/mm2; exposure 10-60 s) were employed in combination with a fused silica fiber with diameters of 600 microns and 800 microns, respectively.

[Biomechanical aspects of the over-the-top reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament].

Strain characteristics of anterior cruciate ligament grafts inserted in the over-the-top technique were studied in an in-vitro model. A cruciate ligament attached at the center of the anatomical insertion sites provides a constant preload and accomplishes the principle of isometry during the whole range of motion. In contrast, the over-the-top reconstructed ligament shows an increasing laxity proportional to the degree of joint flexion due to an approach of the attachment areas.

[Clinical results of Palmer's primary cruciate ligament insertion without augmentation].

The clinical importance of primary cruciate ligament reconstruction without augmentation-plasty is discussed on the background of long term results following 51 operations. Based on standardized methods of evaluation 38 patients had a very good and good result, in eleven cases the operation lead to a fair and in two cases to a poor result. A significant instability with a pivot shift grade III was recorded in two cases: twelve patients showed a low degree of instability whereas 37 patients had regained full stability.

[Ender nailing for stabilization of pertrochanteric fractures in advanced age. A safe procedure?].

The postoperative course of 138 patients with a pertrochanteric fracture treated by nailing according to Ender is analysed with regard to the operative morbidity and lethality. As secondary factors associated with morbidity the specific and unspecific rate of complications, the lethality, the perioperative loss of blood and the duration of postoperative hospitalisation are evaluated. Specific complications occurred in 27%, unspecific complications in 50%, and the rate of hospital mortality was 15.

[Management of femoral neck fracture with an intermediate (dual head) prosthesis in geriatric surgery].

Between 1980 and 1989 in 195 elderly patients with fractures of the femoral neck a duo-cup endoprosthesis was inserted. The average age was 78 years, most of them were high risk patients with sometimes more than 2 preexisting diseases. The hospital mortality after hip replacement was 9.

[Pathogenesis of Achilles tendon rupture].

The etiology underlying ruptures of the Achilles tendon is analyzed in 65 patients in a retrospective clinical study. A typical mechanism leading to a rupture of the tendon consists in an extraordinary tension force applied on a tendon in a state of active preload. A spontaneous rupture was observed in merely 3 cases.

[Clostridium perfringens infection following intramedullary nailing of an open femur shaft fracture].

In a 47-year old patient, clostridial bacteraemia and local gas gangrene developed following osteosynthesis of a penetrating femoral fracture by a medullary nail. The operation had been performed in a post-injury interval of 14 days. The first clinical symptoms did not appear until 6 days after surgery.

[Additional intra-abdominal injuries in multiple-traumatized patients with pelvic fractures. Difficulties in diagnosis and therapy].

Between 1.1. 1987 to 31.

[Experimental results of biomechanical strength of the meniscus suture in the area of zone II].

The biomechanics of the sutured meniscus were studied in an experimental in vitro assembly. The characteristics of load transmission and changes in radial tensile strength were analyzed under static load conditions. With the knee joint in extension the longitudinally ruptured meniscus presents only slight changes with regard to load transmission and radial stretch.

[Incidence of complications and early mortality in surgical management of coxal femoral fractures].

In a retrospective study the clinical course of 393 patients treated for proximal femur fractures is evaluated. Intraoperative complications occurred in 2% whereas early complications related to the operative procedure were seen in 19.8% and unspecific complications in 36.

[New aspects in the treatment of pneumonitis (author's transl)].

Two groups of patients suffering from pneumonitis received different treatments and were compared retrospectively. The first group (38 patients) was treated with heparin and aprotinin. The overall mortality was 50 percent; of the patients who were artifically ventilated 64 percent died.

[Problems of the one- or two-stage operations of carcinoma on the left part of the colon (author's transl)].

260 radically operations of carcinoma of the colon were carried out from 1963-1972; 163 of these operations have been done on the left part of the colon. The results of the one- and two-stage procedures were compared with the related literature. 46.

[On-line monitoring of cardiac output with a new pulse contour computer (author's transl)].

A new pulse contour cardiac output computer, operating from the aortic pressure wave form was tested in cardiac surgical patients. Reference cardiac output was measured by thermal dilution technique. Satisfactory agreements were obtained between the thermal dilution and the COC-pulse-contour cardiac outputs when rapid variations of cardiac output occurred as well as slowly developing changes.

Ischemic tolerance of the human heart during extracorporeal circulation: clinical experience.

Our clinical experiences with ischemic tolerance of the human heart under the condition of ECC during the last 15 years allow us to state the following points: 1. The healthy human myocardium can be exposed to ischemia without danger on the basis of 15 min and a myocardial temperature of 35 degrees C. This time can be prolonged following the described value of Q10=2.