The effect of pulsed ultrasound in the treatment of tibial stress fractures.

Tibial stress fractures commonly occur in athletes and military recruits. This prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical study sought to determine whether pulsed ultrasound reduces tibial stress fracture healing time. Twenty-six midshipmen (43 tibial stress fractures) were randomized to pulsed ultrasound or placebo treatment.

Multiple relaxing skin incisions in orthopaedic lower extremity trauma.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using multiple relaxing skin incisions (MRSIs) to facilitate the closure of difficult lower extremity wounds. Such wounds are caused by direct trauma or by surgical intervention for management of bone and soft tissue injury that result in wound closure under tension. Common alternatives include closure by secondary intention, delayed primary closure, split thickness skin grafting, or flap coverage.

Rapid host nation medical deployment.

Rapid development of land-based units in Operation Desert Shield/Storm presented critical needs for medical support. Integration of small Navy mobile medical teams in Bahrain and a larger United States Army Hospital unit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at host nation hospitals presented an innovative method of providing this support. The success of these ventures in convenience and quality of care establishes the host nation interaction with military medical professionals as a workable, satisfying, and important adjunct to standard military medical care.

Nonoperative treatment of Neer type II distal clavicle fractures: a prospective study.

The first prospective series of nonoperatively treated Neer type II fractures of the lateral third of the clavicle with concomitant rupture of the coracoclavicular ligaments is reported. Among ten patients with an average follow-up of 14.3 months, there were seven healed fractures and three nonunions.