Virtual reality for surgical training in balloon kyphoplasty procedure.

Purpose: The aim of our prospective randomised trial was to demonstrate the efficacy and improvement in surgical skills of inexperienced surgeons in the balloon kyphoplasty procedures trained with virtual reality (VR) compared to untrained inexperienced surgeons.

Methods: Six orthopaedic residents were randomized to group VR1 (trained) and group VR0 (untrained, control group). At the beginning, all participants, after a theoretical lesson, performed a virtual kyphoplasty.

Different timing in allograft and autograft maturation after primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction does not influence the clinical outcome at mid-long-term follow-up.

Purpose: The use of allografts in primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is increasing although they are still supposed to be associated to greater risk of re-rupture due to a slower and less efficient graft maturation. The aim of this prospective randomized controlled study was to compare the graft maturation after ACLR with allograft and autograft by MRI at 6- and 12-month follow-up and integrate these data with the functional and clinical results observed at 6-, 12- and 60-month follow-up.

Methods: Fifty patients with indication to primary ACLR were randomly and equally divided into hamstring autograft or allograft tendon groups.

Floating hip in polytraumatized patients: complications, mechanism of injury, and surgical strategy.

Purpose: Floating hip fractures are severe and rare injuries with high complication rate and lack of standard management. The purpose of this retrospective study was to review the outcomes of a case series of polytraumatized patients with floating hip injuries, in order to describe the relationship between complication rate and floating hip injury type, the pathomechanism of injury, and the surgical treatment strategy.

Methods: Forty-five patients with floating hip injuries were analyzed.