Publications by authors named "Dirk Sommerfeldt"

Epiphysiolysis and epiphyseal fractures of the distal femur and proximal tibia are an extremely rare entity, but due to their far-reaching consequences with associated functional restrictions of the knee joint, they must be recognized and treated thoroughly. Complete and correct diagnosis is essential and, diagnostically speaking and in addition to standard x‑rays in two planes, the threshold for cross-sectional imaging examination techniques should be low. A conservative treatment attempt is possible for undisplaced fractures, but surgical retention and stabilization using wires and screws is usually indicated.

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Introduction: Structured emergency room concepts have been shown to contribute to patient safety. Until now there has been no uniform emergency room concept for critically ill and seriously injured children and adolescents in the emergency room at the Altona Children's Hospital in Hamburg. This concept has been newly developed in interdisciplinary cooperation and includes the use of new clinical premises as well as new responsibilities and team compositions.

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Purpose: Distal humeral coronal shear fractures (CSF) are uncommon and may be challenging to treat due to their size, location, and intraarticular nature. The purpose of this study was to analyze treatment concepts of this rare entity in the growing age.

Methods: Based on a multi-center data analysis we retrospectively reviewed patients below 16 years of age with CSF treated at 13 high-volume pediatric trauma centers.

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Purpose: Non-unions of the distal humerus are rare complications of common children's fractures such as radial condyle fractures and supracondylar fractures. The aim of this paper was to update the knowledge about etiology, reasons, management, and results of these troublesome, and sometimes debilitating entities.

Methods: The sparse literature concerning nonunions following condylar or supracondylar fractures was analyzed together with the presentation of some typical clinical cases.

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In children and adolescents, injuries of the ankle are seen frequently in routine practice. The fracture pattern is less dependent on the mechanism of injury than on the maturity of the growth plate. Therefore, a differentiation is made between fractures with open epiphyses and fractures with a closing growth plate in adolescents.

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Background: Angulated fractures of the distal forearm are very frequent lesions in childhood. Currently, there are no standard guidelines on whether these children should be treated conservatively with a cast; with reduction and a cast; or with reduction, pinning and a cast under anesthesia. Minor prospective and retrospective studies have shown that the distal physis of the forearm possesses high remodeling capacity leading to reliable correction of malalignment.

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Introduction: The aim of our study is to establish a reliable neonatal rat model by formula feeding only for evaluation of early surgical intervention on the course of experimental necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

Material And Methods: Newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 50 breast-fed (group 1) and 38 formula fed (Similac/Esbilac, group 2) animals. The pups were sacrificed on the 4th, 5th, and 6th day of life and the terminal intestine examined for macroscopic and histologic changes as well as cytokine expression.

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Objective: Studies on cognitive function in paediatric patients suffering head trauma suggest neuropsychological impairment even after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). The present study examined the feasibility of abbreviated neuropsychological testing in different settings in children and adolescents following MTBI.

Methods: Within the scope of two prospective studies on psychosocial and cognitive outcome, 71 school-aged children with mild, moderate or severe TBI were assessed.

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Objective: Minimally invasive reduction and internal fixation of anterior tibial spine and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) without harming knee joint cartilage and physis of the proximal tibia.

Indications: Anterior tibial spine fractures type II-IV according to Meyers/McKeever.

Contraindications: ACL tears.

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The role of heightened arousal has been previously discussed as a contributor to neurocognitive impairment in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To investigate whether psychological effects (distraction, re-location of resources) elicited by the evocation of traumatic memories impact on subsequent cognitive performance in PTSD, two parallel versions of a working memory task were administered to 33 trauma-exposed participants (15 with and 18 without PTSD). Between first and second working memory assessment a trauma-related interview was conducted including the narration of the trauma.

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To characterize the temporal expression of genes that play a functional role during the process of osteoblast adhesion, we used differential display (DD-PCR) on mRNA isolated from attached vs. suspended osteoblasts. A 200-bp fragment displaying upregulated expression after 30 and 60 min adhesion was isolated, sequenced, and showed 97% homology to prtb, previously showed to be expressed in mouse brain.

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