Morphological abnormalities of the femur in the dysplastic hip. Relation between femur en acetabulum.

To apply cutting edge geometry processing techniques and statistical shape modelling to perform a quali-tative and quantitive evaluation of femoral deformity in developmental hip dysplasia and to describe its relation to the amount of acetabular coverage in full 3D. An observational case-control study consisting of 40 right dysplastic cases compared to 43 normal hips, was designed. All subjects were Asian females with an average age of 53.

Reliability of a semi-automated 3D-CT measuring method for tunnel diameters after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A comparison between soft-tissue single-bundle allograft vs. autograft.

Background: Post-operative widening of tibial and/or femoral bone tunnels is a common observation after ACL reconstruction, especially with soft-tissue grafts. There are no studies comparing tunnel widening in hamstring autografts versus tibialis anterior allografts. The goal of this study was to observe the difference in tunnel widening after the use of allograft vs.

A statistical shape model of trochlear dysplasia of the knee.

Background: Trochlear dysplasia is known as the primary predisposing factor for patellar dislocation. Current methods to describe trochlear dysplasia are mainly qualitative or based on a limited number of discrete measurements. The purpose of this study is to apply statistical shape analysis to take the full geometrical complexity of trochlear dysplasia into account.

Extensor tendon and fascia sectioning of extensors at the musculotendinous unit in lateral epicondylitis.

Different surgical techniques exist to treat lateral epicondylitis. In most techniques, release of the common extensor origin is performed adjacent to the humeral epicondyle. The purpose of the present study was to assess the outcome of transverse sectioning of the intermuscular septum and the aponeuroses of the extensor carpi radialis brevis and extensor digitorum communis, 3 to 5 cm distally to the radial epicondyle.

Endovenous laser ablation of the great saphenous vein using a bare fibre versus a tulip fibre: a randomised clinical trial.

Objective: This clinical trial aimed to evaluate the clinical results of the use of a tulip fibre versus the use of a bare fibre for endovenous laser ablation.

Methods: In a multicentre prospective randomised trial 174 patients were randomised for the treatment of great saphenous vein reflux. A duplex scan was scheduled 1 month, 6 months and 1 year postoperatively.

Community-based health insurance and social capital: a review.

Unlabelled: Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) is an emerging concept for providing financial protection against the cost of illness and improving access to quality health services for low-income rural households who are excluded from formal insurance. CBHI is currently being provided in some rural areas in developing countries and there is ongoing research about its impact on the well-being of the poor in these areas. However, the success of CBHI revolves around the existence of social capital in the community.

Determinants of willingness-to-pay for water pollution abatement: a point and interval data payment card application.

This paper shows a contingent valuation exercise of pollution abatement in remote lakes. In addition to estimating the usual interval data model, it applies a point and interval statistical approach allowing for uncensored data, left-censored data, right-censored data and left- and right-censored data to explore the determinants of willingness-to-pay in a payment card survey. Results suggest that the estimations between models may diverge under certain conditions.

Using respondents' uncertainty scores to mitigate hypothetical bias in community-based health insurance studies.

Community-based health insurance has been implemented in several developing countries to help the poor to gain access to adequate health-care services. Assessing what the poor are willing to pay is of paramount importance for policymaking. The contingent valuation method, which relies on a hypothetical market, is commonly used for this purpose.

The determinants of the willingness-to-pay for community-based prepayment scheme in rural Cameroon.

In rural Cameroon, many people have no access to quality healthcare services. This is largely attributed to lack of private out-of-pocket payment to finance healthcare services. A community-based prepayment health insurance scheme may be implemented to improve healthcare access in rural areas.

Three-dimensional assessment of cam engagement in femoroacetabular impingement.

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to 3-dimensionally assess cam engagement in male patients with symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement during motion.

Methods: A total of 13 hips with cam-type impingement were investigated. Patient anatomy and clinical range of motion were determined.

Evaluation and economic impact analysis of different treatment options for ankle distortions in occupational accidents.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: Appropriate use of diagnostic and treatment modalities are essential for rational use of resources. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of diagnostic modalities and different treatment options and their economic impacts following an acute ankle distortion resulting from an occupational accident. We evaluated the type-of-treatment impact on the victims' course of recovery as well as its impact on the associated accident costs.

Comparison of contrast enhanced three dimensional echocardiography with MIBI gated SPECT for the evaluation of left ventricular function.

Background: In clinical practice and in clinical trials, echocardiography and scintigraphy are used the most for the evaluation of global left ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular (LV) volumes. Actually, poor quality imaging and geometrical assumptions are the main limitations of LVEF measured by echocardiography. Contrast agents and 3D echocardiography are new methods that may alleviate these potential limitations.

Deltoid muscle volume estimated from ultrasonography: in vitro validation and correlation with isokinetic abduction strength of the shoulder.

Accurate prediction of muscle parameters can be used for customization of biomechanical models. A method is presented to estimate the volume of triangular-shaped muscles from ultrasonographic measurements. The deltoid muscle was used to validate the technique in a cadaver study of 12 shoulders.

Invasive aspergillosis in association with criminal arsenic poisoning.

A 26-year-old man suffered acute arsenic poisoning after a poisoning attempt. He developed multiple organ failure including encephalopathy, bleeding disorders, pancreatitis, renal and hepatocellular impairment. Generalized erythroderma also developed within one week after admission.

Acute arsenic poisoning treated by intravenous dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and combined extrarenal epuration techniques.

Arsenic poisoning was diagnosed in a 26-year-old man who had been criminally intoxicated over the last two weeks preceding admission by the surreptitious oral administration of probably 10 g of arsenic trioxide (As2O3). The patient developed severe manifestations of toxic hepatitis and pancreatitis, and thereafter neurological disorders, respiratory distress, acute renal failure, and cardiovascular disturbances. In addition to supportive therapy, extrarenal elimination techniques and chelating agents were used.

Determination of ethylene glycol tissue content after fatal oral poisoning and pathologic findings.

A 23-year-old comatose man who had drunk an unknown amount of ethylene glycol was admitted to the hospital 5 hours after ingestion. The initial plasma ethylene glycol concentration was 116.2 mg/100 ml.

Spontaneous haemoperitoneum from surreptitious ingestion of a rodenticide.

Superwarfarins have progressively replaced warfarin as rodenticides as they are more potent and have a longer anticoagulant activity. Human exposure may be complicated by spontaneous haemorrhage in various sites. We report the case of a 51-year-old woman who was admitted with spontaneous haemoperitoneum and intramural haematoma along the small intestine.

Observer variation in computed tomography of pleural lesions in subjects exposed to indoor asbestos.

To assess the reliability of computed tomography (CT) in detecting discrete pleural lesions, the interobserver and intra-observer variability in reading the conventional and high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans of 100 volunteers, who had worked for > or = 10 yrs in a building with known asbestos contamination, was evaluated. In the first session, pleural abnormalities were detected by a single radiologist (A1) in 13 subjects. In the second session, the scans were read again independently by the same radiologist (A2) and two other experienced radiologists (B, C).

Survival with extremely high blood methanol concentration.

Fatalities are still reported following methanol poisoning. Methanol is extensively metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase to formaldehyde and by aldehyde dehydrogenase to formic acid which is the main toxic metabolite. Survival with extremely high blood methanol concentration is possible provided that aggressive symptomatic and specific therapy is applied.

Repetitive endoscopy and continuous alkaline gastric irrigation in a case of arsenic poisoning.

Background: The poor prognosis of patients with persistent gastrointestinal radio-opacities after oral arsenic poisoning supports efficient gastrointestinal decontamination as critical for survival. In a case of massive arsenic ingestion, we performed repetitive gastric endoscopy and a continuous alkaline irrigation of the stomach over several days.

Case Report: A 41-year-old woman was admitted 4 hours after intentional ingestion of trivalent arsenic powder 5 g.

Pancreatic injury following acute methanol poisoning.

Background: Methanol ingestion is a cause of potentially life-threatening poisoning with numerous systemic manifestations. Clinicians may overlook the possibility of acute pancreatitis in this setting. The objective of this paper is to document the incidence of this complication in a series of 22 patients and to discuss the respective role of methanol and ethanol in its pathogenesis.

Assessment of chronic constipation: colon transit time versus defecography.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the value of radiological colon transit time (CTT) measurements in relation to defecography (DFG) in chronically constipated patients.

Materials And Methods: In 30 patients with chronic constipation, total and segmental CTT was determined using radiopaque markers. In all of these patients defecography (DFG) was obtained.