[Infections of the spine : Therapeutic strategies].

Spinal infections are relatively rare entities but the incidence is significantly increasing due to the rapidly growing numbers of interventions on the spine. Primary infections of intervertebral discs (spondylodiscitis) and vertebral bodies (spondylitis) are distinguished from secondary postinterventional infections. Treatment relies primarily on either conservative or surgical management.

A pedicle screw system and a lamina hook system provide similar primary and long-term stability: a biomechanical in vitro study with quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions.

Purpose: For the stabilization of the thoracolumbar spine area, various stabilization techniques have been developed in recent decades. The aim of these techniques is to immobilize the treated segment to repositioning or correct the spine and guaranty long-term stability to achieve a reliable fusion. The aim of this study was to simulate in an in vitro experiment the postoperative long-term situation in elderly osteoporotic patients to compare two different stabilization principles; a pedicle screw system and a lamina hook system.

[Patella navigation in computer-assisted TKA : Intraoperative measurement of patellar kinematics. Video article].

Introduction: Patellofemoral maltracking is a relevant problem after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Patella navigation is a tool that allows real time monitoring of patella tracking.

Material: This video contribution demonstrates the technique of patellofemoral navigation and a possible consequence of intraoperative monitoring.

[Acetabular Osteolysis in Total Hip Replacement - When to Retain the Cup?].

Periacetabular osteolysis is a frequent long-term complication of cementless total hip arthroplasty. The decision whether to retain or to revise a cup in the presence of osteolysis remains a challenge. The options are regular clinical and radiological check-ups, isolated liner exchange with and without bone grafting, and complete cup revision.

[The Summer School of the German Society for Orthopaedics and Traumatology - A Success Story].

It has been known for several years that orthopaedic and trauma clinics suffer from a shortage of young people, due to the substantial loss in attractiveness. The Youth Forum OU has been addressing this problem for many years, by initiating many projects such as the Summer School to counteract this trend. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the success of Summer Schools since 2009.

[Operative therapy for rheumatoid arthritis of the hand].

The need for operative treatment of severe rheumatic deformities of the hand and wrist is decreasing due to the increased use of disease-modifying drugs; however, some patients do not tolerate or do not sufficiently respond to these drugs, which often results in the hands being affected and in advanced stages to severe deformity and loss of function. In these cases operative surgery can help to slow the progression of rheumatic destruction and restore the function of the patient's hand. This article describes the principles of surgery for rheumatoid arthritis of the hand.

[Hindfoot deformities in adults. Conservative and surgical treatment].

The term hindfoot deformity denotes many different disease patterns that are associated with malformations of the axis. Destruction of the hindfoot caused by chronic polyarthritis or diabetic diseases are complex examples. This article aims to qualify the reader to diagnose the most important and most common hindfoot deformities in adults and to make decisions about stage-adjusted conservative and surgical therapeutic options.

[Operative therapy of spinal metastases from urological tumors].

The treatment of bone metastases from urological tumors represents a palliative form of therapy, apart from the resection of solitary metastases from renal cell carcinomas. Due to the high incidence of spinal metastases this can result in clinically significant symptoms and possible complications for patients, such as pain, spinal instability and compression of the spinal canal with corresponding neurological deficits. By the use of targeted diagnostics and induction of radiotherapeutic and/or surgical treatment, for the majority of patients an immediate reduction in pain as well as early mobilization and sometimes even regression of existing neurological deficits and therefore an improved quality of life can be achieved.

[Sciatica. From stretch rack to microdiscectomy].

In ancient times as well as in the Middle Ages treatment options for discogenic nerve compression syndrome were limited and usually not very specific because of low anatomical and pathophysiological knowledge. The stretch rack (scamnum Hippocratis) was particularly prominent but was widely used as a therapeutic device for very different spinal disorders. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century anatomical knowledge increased and the advances in the fields of asepsis, anesthesia and surgery resulted in an increase in surgical interventions on the spine.

[Not Available].

Today, lumbar disc disease is a very common disease, which will be often seen in both the family practice as well as in the consultations of orthopedics, neurology, rheumatology or neurosurgery. Furthermore, lumbar disc surgery is one of the most common spinal surgical procedures worldwide. But, for many centuries, physician had no clear understanding of the anatomical condition and the pathomechanism of this disease.

[Materials/Biomaterials in Clinical Practice - a Short Review and Current Trends].

Biomaterials play a major role in interventional medicine and surgery. However, the development of biomaterials is still in its early phases in spite of the huge progress made within the last decades. On the one hand, this is because our knowledge of the molecular and cellular processes associated with biomaterials is still increasing exponentially.

[EOS imaging acquisition system : 2D/3D diagnostics of the skeleton].

The application spectrum of the EOS imaging acquisition system is versatile. It is especially useful in the diagnostics and planning of corrective surgical procedures in complex orthopedic cases. The application is indicated when assessing deformities and malpositions of the spine, pelvis and lower extremities.

[Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound in Diagnostic Imaging of Muscle Injuries: Perfusion Imaging in the Early Arterial Phase].

Background: Ultrasound is a standard procedure widely used in the diagnostic investigation of muscle injuries and widely described in the literature. Its advantages include rapid availability, cost effectiveness and the possibility to perform a real-time dynamic examination with the highest possible spatial resolution. In the diagnostic work-up of minor lesions (muscle stiffness, muscle strain), plain ultrasound has so far been inferior to MRI.

[Therapy of scoliosis from a historical perspective].

Scoliosis can be considered as one of the classical orthopedic diseases of the spine. The history of orthopedics is closely connected to the development of the therapy of scoliosis. In the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries the therapy of scoliosis was mainly a conservative corrective orthopedic treatment with a variety of corset forms and extension bed treatment.

[History of internal fixators. The subsequent importance for spinal surgery].

Background: This article presents a retrospective look at spinal implants of the 1970s and 1980s.

Objective: The historical development of internal fixators as the successor to external fixators.

Mechanical Principle: Pedicled screws are stably anchored in vertebral bodies of the thoracic or lumbar spine or the sacrum using a dorsal approach.

[History of vertebral body replacement].

Background: Vertebral body replacement after corpectomy is nowadays a standard procedure in spinal surgery.

Objective: Description of the developmental process of vertebral body replacement.

Method: Historical description of the innovations in vertebral body replacement.

[Acute inpatient multimodal pain therapy and rehabilitation: Framework conditions, tasks and differentiated patient allocation].

Multimodal pain treatment programs are widely accepted as the medical treatment standard in the management of patients with chronic pain syndromes. The concepts and treatment strategies are based on the biopsychosocial model of pain and programs for early restoration of function. Although this concept is primarily implemented in the curative field, i.

[Vertebral metastases of urogenital carcinomas: Diagnosis and conservative therapy].

The high incidence of bone metastases of urologic neoplasms and their morbidity, especially of vertebral metastases, requires exact diagnosis and consequent therapy. Conventional radiography plays an important role in the diagnosis of symptomatic bone lesions. Computed tomography can evaluate the stability of metastatic lesions and is indispensable for therapy planning.

[Synovial tumors and tumor-like lesions].

Synovial tumors comprise a variety of lesions, including those with benign and aggressive neoplastic changes as well as inflammatory causes. In this article we focus on neoplastic tumors. Synovial tumors with other etiologies, such as sarcoidosis, granuloma, synovitis, or gouty arthritis, are not dealt with here.

[Interventions on facet joints. Techniques of facet joint injection, medial branch block and radiofrequency ablation].

Fluoroscopy-guided interventions on facet joints have been used for decades for the symptomatic management of pain in spinal disorders. A large number of imaging techniques are used to achieve a precise and safe needle placement in interventional procedures. Pulsed fluoroscopy is one of the most widely used and well-accepted tools for these procedures.

[Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy in the Lumbar Spine for Correction of Sagittal Spinal Imbalance].

Introduction: A sagittal spinal deformity can lead to a significant reduction in quality of life. A loss of lumbar lordosis, which may be degenerative or iatrogenic, is usually identified as the main driver for a sagittal imbalance. Re-lordosing the lumbar spine has the potential to correct a global sagittal imbalance.