Functional outcomes and clinical strength assessment after infraspinatus-sparing surgical approach to scapular fracture: Does it really make a difference?

Background: Surgical treatment of scapular fractures with posterior approach is frequently associated with postoperative infraspinatus hypotrophy and weakness. The aim of this retrospective study is to compare infraspinatus strength and functional outcomes in patients treated with the classic Judet versus modified Judet approach for scapular fracture.

Patients And Methods: 20 cases with scapular neck and body fracture treated with posterior approach for lateral border plate fixation were reviewed.

["Unknown" ectopic ureteral opening. Experience with 8 clinical cases].

The authors after studying eight different cases of ectopic ureters, try to illustrate the most important points of the diagnostic course in this pathology. In fact, in this field of studies, it is not easy, every time, to define diagnosis by the usual ways of investigation, so the authors describe just those cases which were missed by past clinical evaluations. They want to demonstrate by their experience of work, that it is possible to avoid a wrong diagnosis by an accurate evaluation of the clinical phenomenology, but most of all by a good research and right interpretation of the clinical and radiologic signs, direct and not, of this pathology.

Methotrexate, vinblastine, epidoxorubicin and cisplatin (M-VEC) in patients with locally advanced transitional bladder cancer.

M-VEC (methotrexate, vinblastine, epidoxorubicin and cisplatin), a new combined drug regimen in which epidoxorubicin has been substituted to adriamycin to reduce the toxicity of the original M-VAC chemotherapy, has been tested in 23 patients with locally advanced transitional cell bladder cancer (TCBC) (stage T2-T4 No Mo). After two to four courses, an objective response was observed in 19 patients, with 13 clinical complete responses. Seven patients underwent cystectomy after chemotherapy: one patient had no residual tumor on bladder specimens, five patients had a surgical eradication of the disease, while one patient had only a partial resection.