Does shape and size of the stems affect the stress-shielding around press-fit radial head arthroplasty?

Aims: It has been hypothesized that proximal radial neck resorption (PRNR) following press-fit radial head arthroplasty (RHA) is due to stress-shielding. We compared two different press-fit stems by means of radiographs to investigate whether the shape and size of the stems are correlated with the degree of PRNR.

Methods: The radiographs of 52 RHAs were analyzed both at 14 days postoperatively and after two years.

AC joint osteoarthritis: The role of genetics. An MRI evaluation of asymptomatic elderly twins.

Purpose: The anatomy of the articular surfaces has historically identified as major responsible for acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis (ACJO). On the other side, the almost 100% prevalence of ACJO in subjects over 50 years old seems to suggest a multifactorial etiology. We compared ACJO between asymptomatic elderly monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins to investigate the influence of genetics and environmental factors.

Cartilage thickness of distal humerus and its relationships with bone dimensions: magnetic resonance imaging bilateral study in healthy elbows.

Background: Little is known about the cartilage thickness of the distal humerus and how it affects the shape of the articular surface. Our aims were to assess cartilage thickness and to determine the extent to which it affects the true profile of the distal humerus.

Methods: We assessed 78 healthy elbows (39 subjects, 19 women and 20 men) with a mean age of 28 years (range, 21-32 years).

Terrible triad of the elbow: is it still a troublesome injury?

Background: Terrible triad injury (TTI), one of the main patterns of complex elbow instability, is difficult to treat and yields conflicting surgical results. We analyzed prospectively a series of patient affected by TTI and treated according to the current diagnostic and surgical protocols to investigate whether their application allow to obtain more predictable outcomes.

Material And Methods: We analyzed 26 patients with a mean age of 52 years.

Estimation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon variability in air using high volume, film, and vegetation as samplers.

Organic films and leaves provide a medium into which organic contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), can accumulate, resulting in a useful passive air sampler. In the present work, the temporal variability (weekly) in PAH concentrations and the fingerprint of films developed on window surfaces were investigated. Moreover, films and leaves of two tree species (Acer pseudoplatanus and Cornus mas) collected at the same time were used to derive PAH air concentrations and investigate their short-term variability.

Towards more ecologically realistic scenarios of plant uptake modelling for chemicals: PAHs in a small forest.

The importance of plants in the accumulation of organic contaminants from air and soil was recognized to the point that even regulatory predictive approaches now include a vegetation compartment or sub-compartment. However, it has recently been shown that many of such approaches lack ecological realism to properly evaluate the dynamic of air/plant/soil exchange, especially when environmental conditions are subject to sudden variations of meteorological or ecological parameters. This paper focuses on the development of a fully dynamic scenario in which the variability of concentrations of selected chemicals in air and plant leaves was studied weekly and related to the corresponding meteorological and ecological parameters, to the evaluate their influence.

Discovery elbow system: 2- to 5-year results in distal humerus fractures and posttraumatic conditions: a prospective study on 24 patients.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate preliminary results of the Discovery Elbow System (DES) used for acute distal humerus fractures and posttraumatic conditions.

Methods: We analyzed 24 patients (9 men and 15 women), with a mean age of 69 years (range, 45-89 y). Ten had comminuted distal humerus fractures (group I), and 14 had severe post-traumatic arthritis, chronic instability, or nonunion (group II).

Clinical usefulness of proximal ulnar and radial fracture-dislocation comprehensive classification system (PURCCS): prospective study of 39 cases.

Background: Complex fracture-dislocations of the proximal ulna and radius represent a challenge even for expert orthopaedic surgeons. A new comprehensive classification, the proximal ulnar and radial fracture-dislocation comprehensive classification system (PURCCS), was recently proposed. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical usefulness of this classification in a large series of patients.

Change in quality of life and cost/utility analysis in open stage-related surgical treatment of elbow stiffness.

The goals of this study were to examine the improvement in quality of life achieved after open surgical treatment of elbow stiffness and to verify the cost/utility ratio of surgery. Thirty-three patients (22 men and 11 women) underwent surgery. The etiologies of elbow stiffness were posttraumatic conditions (n=26), primary osteoarthritis (n=5), and rheumatoid arthritis (n=2).

Soft tissue constraint injuries in complex elbow instability: surgical techniques and clinical outcomes.

The surgical procedures for and outcomes of soft tissue constraint reconstruction in complex elbow instability have been rarely investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical outcomes in a series of patients with complex elbow instability in whom the associated soft tissue constraint injures were identified and treated based on the pathoanatomic changes found intraoperatively. Forty-five patients (23 men and 22 women; mean age, 54 years) with complex elbow instability were followed prospectively.

Soft tissue constraint injuries in complex elbow instability: prevalence, pathoanatomy, and classification.

The types and prevalence of soft tissue constraint injuries associated with complex elbow instability have been rarely investigated. The purpose of this study was to analyze the intraoperative findings of soft tissue constraint injuries in complex elbow instability and provide a comprehensive classification of these lesions. Forty-seven patients undergoing surgery for complex elbow instability were prospectively analyzed.