Could irrigation, debridement and antibiotic therapy cure an infection of a total hip arthroplasty?

Seven patients suffering from an acute (less than two weeks) infection of a total hip arthroplasty were treated by irrigation and debridement, with appropriate antibiotic therapy and retention of the prosthesis. They were followed for an average of 30 months. Infection did not recur in five (71%) patients, but the other two required further surgery.

Prevention of deformity during limb lengthening.

Deformity occurs frequently at the site of distraction during leg lengthening and can add to disability. The elastic and nonelastic displacements have been measured in a model that simulates leg lengthening in the laboratory. Measurements have been made for different fixator systems.

Manual assessment of fracture stiffness.

A fracture stiffness of 15 Nm/degree measured biomechanically has been proposed as a reliable indicator of early fracture union. This study used a fracture model to examine the ability of orthopaedic surgeons to assess the stiffness of a fracture manually. Twenty orthopaedic surgeons were tested along with 20 controls.