[Precision and safety of positioning pedicle screws in the thoracic and lumbar spine using a hand-guided aiming sleeve : A CT control study].

Background: For the implantation of pedicle screws, navigation-supported systems are nowadays used more and more to avoid screw misalignment by making the direction of the screw more predictable.

Objective: Examination of the precision after instrumentation of the pedicle screw with the hand-guided aiming sleeve. The aim was to verify that the implementation of the pedicle screws is plannable and precise by using 2D X‑ray only.

Improvement of Orthopedic Residency Programs and Diversity: Dilemmas and Challenges, an International Perspective.

Background: To date, little has been published comparing the structure and requirements of orthopedic training programs across multiple countries. The goal of this study was to summarize and compare the characteristics of orthopedic training programs in the U.S.

Early results of a posterolateral polyaxial angle-stable plate for tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis.

Tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis is still considered the reference standard therapy for salvage of severe osteoarthritic deformities of the ankle and hindfoot. Because of the unique anatomy and biomechanics of the ankle, even minor injuries can progress to end-stage osteoarthritis over time. This can be debilitating to patients' general health and physiologic ambulation.

Enhancement of bone formation in hydroxyapatite implants by rhBMP-2 coating.

The combination of hydroxyapatite (HA) implants serving as osteoconductive scaffold with growth factors is an interesting approach for the improvement of bone defect healing. The purpose of this study was to test whether recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) coating of solid HA-implants improves bone formation in a cortical bone defect. Cylindrical trephine mill defects (diameter: 9.

Derotation of post-traumatic femoral deformities by closed intramedullary sawing.

Different techniques and devices have been used for correction osteotomies of bones in patients with malalignments. The most frequently used technique for rotational deformities of the femur and tibia is open osteotomy with an oscillating saw and pre-drilled holes with all well-known drawbacks of open surgery. An intramedullary device with an adapted minimal-invasive surgical technique allows intramedullary osteotomy of the bone preserving the surrounding soft tissue.

Glycerol-l-lactide coating polymer leads to delay in bone ingrowth in hydroxyapatite implants.

Glycerol-l-lactide as coating polymer for the delivery of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) from hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramic implants was shown to lead to significant delay in bone ingrowth into the implants compared to implants without the coating polymer. The purpose of this work was to study bone ingrowth in HA ceramic implants with and without the coating polymer but without growth factors to enable differentiation between a locking effect of the pores by the polymer and the fact of inactivation of the growth factors by the polymer, which could both be possible for the delay. A defect was created in the subchondral region of both femurs in 24 miniature-pigs and was either filled by the HA implants with or without the coating polymer.

Frequency and effects of intratendinous and peritendinous calcifications after open Achilles tendon repair.

Background: Although calcification of the Achilles tendon has been described by several authors, a detailed evaluation of its frequency and effects on clinical outcome has not been reported. The purposes of this work were to determine the frequency of calcifications in the Achilles tendon after open repair and their effects on clinical outcomes and to identify possible risk factors for postoperative calcification.

Methods: Thirty-six patients with open Achilles tendon repair were evaluated at an average followup of 19 months.

Effect of glycerol-L-lactide coating polymer on bone ingrowth of bFGF-coated hydroxyapatite implants.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-coated hydroxyapatite (HA) cylinders showed good bony incorporation in a previously conducted animal study. However, some cylinders exhibited focal inhomogeneous bone ingrowth. The purpose of the current study was to test whether glycerol-L-lactide polymer coating could improve release properties and bone incorporation of bFGF-coated HA implants.

Sonographic detection of an isolated cuboid bone fracture not visualized on plain radiographs.

We report the case of an isolated cuboid bone fracture in a child that was missed on radiography but was diagnosed on sonography. Plain radiographs of the patient's right foot showed no fracture, whereas sonograms demonstrated a fracture of the cuboid bone that appeared as a steplike discontinuity in the cortical bone. The diagnosis was confirmed on MRI.

PMMA vertebroplasty in patients with malignant vertebral destruction of the thoracic and lumbar spine.

Object: Patients with osteolytic metastases frequently suffer from serious local and radicular pain. Pathophysiologically, local pain arises from skeletal instability, whereas radicular pain originates from compression of nerve roots by local tumor growth. Causal treatment of osteolytic metastases in disseminated malignant disease is very difficult.