Traumatic rotatory displacement of the lower cervical spine.

The authors describe the classification for traumatic rotary injuries of the cervical spine. The classification is based on a review of 306 severe lower cervical spine injuries observed in 255 patients between 1980 and 1994. Traumatic rotatory displacements (TRD) represented 39% of the 306 severe injuries.

[Percutaneous osteosynthesis of pelvic fractures with CT control].

Pelvis fractures, most often multiple, are frequently unstable. Orthopedic treatment is hardly bearable (traction in bed sometimes up to 45 days), the open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is heavy. Percutaneous fluoroscopy guided fixation lacks precision in depth.

[Triple and quadruple images in scan of fractures of the articular processes of the lower cervical spine].

The authors describe the triple and quadruple image aspects of the articular pillar, which are encountered respectively in one-sided uni- and biarticular fractures of the lower cervical spine, and they have analysed these images' specificity from a retrospective study. This study concerned 52 cases out of a group of 220 patients hospitalised between 1979 and 1992, with an injury of the lower cervical spine and who underwent a CT-scan examination in addition to the conventional radiographic check-up. Among a total of 70 lesions, 14 uniarticular and 4 biarticular one-sided fractures were recorded.

Pull-out strength of sacral implants using Cotrel-Dubousset fixation devices.

Our aim was to determine the bone structure of the sacrum and the optimum location in the sacrum for the insertion of lumbosacral screws in osteosynthesis. Anatomical tests were performed on mortuary specimens at the Medical School in Nice, France, on frozen sections of sacrum and in computed tomographic (CT) sections with 3-dimensional reconstruction. Density assessment of different structures from the first and second sacral vertebrae (S1, S2) was performed and expressed in Hounsfield units.