Short arm cast is as effective as long arm cast in maintaining distal radius fracture reduction: Results of the SLA-VER noninferiority trial.

Background: Distal radius fractures (DRFs) are a common challenge in orthopaedic trauma care, yet for those fractures that are treated nonoperatively, strong evidence to guide cast treatment is still lacking.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of below elbow cast (BEC) and above elbow cast (AEC) in maintaining reduction of manipulated DRFs.

Methods: We conducted a prospective, monocentric, randomized, parallel-group, open label, blinded, noninferiority trial comparing the efficacy of BEC and AEC in the nonoperative treatment of DRFs.

SLA-VER: study protocol description and preliminar results of the first italian RCT on conservative treatment of distal radial fractures.

Introduction: There is no consensus on which is the best way to maintain initial reduction of a distal radius fractures (DRFs). The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that below elbow cast (BEC) is equivalent to above elbow cast (AEC) in maintaining initial reduction of DRFs. This paper will report on midterm results.

Below- vs above-elbow cast for distal radius fractures: is elbow immobilization really effective for reduction maintenance?

Purpose: The choice of the cast length in conservative management of distal radius fractures still represents a debated controversy. Historically, the elbow is immobilized to reduce the risk of secondary displacement; however, short-arm casts are currently felt to be equally effective with less complications and better patient comfort. This paper investigates whether immobilization of the elbow is actually effective in reducing the risk of loss of reduction in conservatively manipulated distal radius fractures.

The biocompatibility of bone cements: progress in methodological approach.

The ideal bone graft substitute should have certain properties and there are many studies dealing with mixture of polymethylmetacrilate (PMMA) and β-tricalciumphospate (β-TCP) presenting the best characteristics of both. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), for ultra-structural data, resulted a very reliable in vivo model to better understand the bioactivity of a cement and to properly evaluate its suitability for a particular purpose. The present study aims to further improve the knowledge on osteointegration development, using both parameters obtained with the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) and focused histological examination.