Comparison of anterior and posterior double-rod instrumentation for thoracic idiopathic scoliosis: results of 141 patients.

Ventral derotation spondylodesis, according to Zielke, achieves good results in operative treatment of idiopathic thoracic scolioses. Corrections of scoliotic major and secondary curve as well as derotation of the spine are reliably performed. The high rate of rod fractures with subsequent correction loss as well as a proportionate kyphogenic effect represents a problem.

Implant removal for late-developing infection after instrumented posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis: reinstrumentation reduces loss of correction. A retrospective analysis of 45 cases.

A retrospective follow-up study of patients who, having undergone instrumented posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis, experienced late infection and then underwent either implant removal alone or implant removal and instrumented refusion. We conducted this study to determine whether it is possible to avoid loss of correction by a single-stage implant removal and reinstrumentation procedure. There have been a few reports of late-appearing infections after spinal instrumentation.

[Treatment of knee dislocation after callus distraction of the femur--a case report].

We report on the therapy of a complete ventrocranial luxation of the knee joint with leg shortening of 20 cm, which had appeared after diaphyseal distraction osteogenesis in the left thigh at the age of 7 years. The patient presented herself in our clinic at the age of 14 years. After application of an llizarov external fixator,first the luxation was gradually repositioned and afterwards arthrodesis of the knee joint was carried out.

[Surgical treatment of infantile and juvenile scoliosis--a retrospective analysis of 21 patients].

Problem: We carried out a retrospective analysis of 21 patients with infantile or juvenile scoliosis (9 boys, 12 girls) who underwent surgical treatment between 1985 and 1997. 13 patients underwent primary dorsal instrumentation without fusion (growing-rod group). In contrast, 8 patients received already in this young age an instrumented spondylodesis (fusion-group).

Beta-tricalcium phosphate as a bone substitute for dorsal spinal fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: preliminary results of a prospective clinical study.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) in granular form to achieve dorsal spondylodesis in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Twenty-eight patients underwent surgical correction and were followed up for 13+/-8 (range 6-33) months. Posterolateral grafting was performed, using either autograft bone mixed with allograft bone (n=19; "bone group") or autograft bone mixed with 25 g TCP (n=9; "TCP group").

[Chronic osteomyelitis of the ilium after autologous bone harvesting in Albers-Schonberg osteopetrosis. A case report].

We report the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of the iliac wing after autologous bone harvesting in a 17-year old boy with osteopetrosis. A partial resection of the iliac wing was performed followed by systemic antibiotic treatment. The wound healing was without complications.

Experimental anterior spine fusion using bovine bone morphogenetic protein: a study in rabbits.

We developed an experimental model to study the merit of bovine bone morphogenic protein (bBMP) injection into the intervertebral disc to induce anterior interbody fusion. A total of 24 rabbits, divided into three groups of 8 animals each, were used. One hundred and fifty microg of partially purified bBMP was employed in the first group and 10 microg bBMP in the second group.

[Surgical therapy of hemivertebrae scoliosis and kyphosis--a retrospective analysis of 53 cases].

Aim Of The Study: We performed a retrospective analysis of the results of operative treatment of 53 patients with congenital scoliosis (n = 47) or kyphosis (n = 6) due to hemivertebrae.

Patients And Methods: The mean age of the patients (31 girls and 22 boys) at the time of the initial examination was 6 +/- 4 years. Surgical treatment was carried out on average at the age of 9 +/- 5 years.

The influence of obesity on perioperative morbidity and mortality in revision total hip arthroplasty.

The significance of obesity as a risk factor for postoperative complications was determined in a consecutive series of 229 cases of revision total hip replacement. The body mass index (BMI) was used as an objective measure to classify the patients. The group-wise analysis of data included all medical and procedure-related complications, the number of fatal cases, operative time, requirement for analgesics, the number of transfusions and perioperative haemoglobin levels.

Joint cartilage repair with transplantation of embryonic chondrocytes embedded in collagen-fibrin matrices.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of transplanting embryonic chondrogenic cells within a collagen-fibrin substrate for the reconstitution of full-thickness cartilage defects in chicken knee joints.

Methods: Full-thickness cartilage defects were created mechanically on the weight-bearing surface of the tibial condyle in 45 adult chickens and subsequently filled with chondrocytes embedded in a chondrocyte-collagen-fibrin gel. The transplants were compared to untreated defects and collagen-fibrin transplants without cells.

Dorsal instrumentation for idiopathic adolescent thoracic scoliosis: rod rotation versus translation.

The radiographic and clinical outcomes and complications among two groups of adolescent patients treated for idiopathic thoracic scoliosis with dorsal instrumentation using a unified implantation system (Universal Spinal System) were compared retrospectively. A total of 69 patients were included in the study. In 30 patients an intraoperative correction of the scoliosis was performed by translation and segmental correction (translation group, Helsinki).

Surgical management of severe spondylolisthesis in children and adolescents. Anterior fusion in situ versus anterior spondylodesis with posterior transpedicular instrumentation and reduction.

Study Design: A clinical and radiologic retrospective follow-up examination of patients treated surgically for severe juvenile spondylolisthesis.

Objective: To compare two different surgical techniques in the management of severe (degree of slip > 30%) juvenile spondylolisthesis (anterior spondylodesis in situ versus combined anterior spondylodesis and posterior transpedicular instrumentation including reduction of the slipping vertebra) to determine if the advantages of the repositioning of the slipping vertebra and a decreased number of pseudarthroses because of the transpedicular instrumentation lead to clinical improvement despite showing better alignment radiologically.

Methods: This study included 59 children and adolescents with severe spondylolisthesis of L5 who were treated surgically at the authors' orthopedic department between 1980 and 1992.

[Experimental studies of mechanically-induced articular cartilage defects following implantation of allogeneic embryonal chondrocytes in a collagen-fibrin gel in chickens].

Full thickness defects (diameter 1,7 mm; depth 2,5 mm) were created mechanically in articular cartilage and subchondral bone of the condyles of tibiotarsal joints of 9-month old chickens. This full-thickness defects were repaired with cultured allogenic embryonic chick epiphyseal chondrocytes from the tibiae and femura of 10-days-old chicken embryos. The cells were embedded in a collagen-fibrinogen-matrix.

Competitive sports and the progression of spondylolisthesis.

To consider the effects of several years of competitive sports training on children and adolescents with spondylolisthesis, we carried out a retrospective radiologic and clinical study of 86 young athletes with spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis (24 girls and 62 boys between the ages of 6 and 20 years). The mean degree of displacement was 10.1% at the beginning of the observation.

Operative treatment of adolescent idiopathic thoracic scoliosis. Harrington-DTT versus Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation.

Radiographic outcome and complications of Harrington-DTT (H) and Cotrel-Dubousset (CD) instrumentation of idiopathic adolescent thoracic scoliosis were compared retrospectively. The patient material consists of 55 consecutive patients in the H group and 52 consecutive patients in the CD group. The mean age at operation was 15 +/- 2 years (range, 11-19 years) in both groups.

[Measurement data of the lateral lumbosacral region in healthy subjects during the growth period].

The following measurement data were obtained to characterise the healthy lumbosacral profile, via lateral x-rays taken of 90 female and 90 male patients between 8 and 17 years of age: Degree of slip 0%, slip angle -21.3 degrees, sacral inclination 45.5 degrees, posterior lumbosacral angle 140.

[Lumbar segmental spondylodesis--isolated ventral or combined dorsoventral? A comparison of results].

Indications for intercorporal fusion are progressive spondylolisthesis in children and adolescents, painful segmental instability in adults (spondylolisthesis, post-discectomy-syndrome, failed-back-syndrome). From 1980-86 152 isolated anterior intercorporal fusions had been realized, and in 1987/88 we carried out 79 combined anterior-posterior fusions. The rate of pseudarthrosis has been 25% with isolated anterior fusion and on the contrary 9% with combined fusion.