Objective To evaluate the medium-term follow-up outcomes of treatment of chronic scaphoid nonunion with vascularized bone graft based on 1, 2 intercompartmental supraretinacular artery.Methods From February, 1995 to November, 2006, 13 cases of chronic scaphoid nonunion were treated with vascularized bone graft based on 1, 2 intercompartmental supraretinacular artery in our hospital. Nine cases were complicated with avascular necrosis of the proximal pole. The interval between injury and treatment averaged 22. 2 months. The nonunions were stabilized by screw or external fixator. Procedures of arthrolysis were applied and early wrist mobilization was initiated under the protection of external fixator. Radiographic finding and Mayo scoring system were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes. Results The mean time of follow-up was 82.9 months. The union time for the 13 cases averaged 11.2 weeks. At the final follow-up,there were 3 excellent, 8 good and 2 fair evaluations;the range of motion of the wrist, Mayo score, grip strength, intrascaphoid angle and scapholunate angle were significantly improved. Conclusions Chronic scaphoid nonunion can be well treated with vascularized bone graft based on 1, 2 intercompartmental supraretinacular artery. A simple arthrolysis during the procedure can produce satisfactory results. External fixation plays a critical role in early mobilization and functional restoration of the wrist.

Objective To evaluate the medium and long term follow-up results of vascularized bone grafts dorsal distal radius in treatment of chronic scaphoid nonunion. Methods A retrospective study was carried out in 13 patients with chronic scaphoid nonunion treated with vascularized bone grafts dorsal distal radius in our hospital from 1995 to 2006. Nine patients were accompanied by avascular necrosis of the proximal pole. The vascular pedicle was 1,2 intercompartmental supraretinacular artery. The nonunion was stabilized by screws or external fixators. Radiographic finding and Mayo scoring system on wrist mobilization were used to evaluate the clinical outcomes. Results The interval between injury and treatment was average 22.2 months. All patients were followed up for average 76.6 months, which showed that 12 patients obtained fracture union, with average union time of 11.2 weeks. Functional evaluation results were defined as excellent in three patients, good in eight and fair in two. The last follow-up revealed significant improvement of the range of motion of the wrist, Mayo scores, grip strength, intrascaphoid angles and scapholunate angles. Conclusions Vascularized bone grafts from dorsal distal radius has relatively surgical procedure and can achieve satisfactory results in management of scaphoid nonunion. The perioperative arthrolysis and early postoperative mobilization of the wrist under exernal fixation play critical role in restoration of wrist function.

BACKGROUND:For unstable intertrochanteric fracture repair, there are two views:extramedul ary fixation or intramedul ary fixation. Theoretical y, intramedul ary fixation is in line with the principles of minimal y invasive, more mechanical and biological advantages. However, evidence-based medicine and related studies have shown that compared with the extramedul ary fixation, intramedul ary fixation did not reflect the proper theoretical advantage. OBJECTIVE:To compare the biomechanical performance of two kinds of internal fixation systems:dynamic hip screw and Gamma nail which commonly used in repair of intertrochanteric fractures by finite element method, and to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of dynamic hip screw and Gamma nail in treatment of unstable intertrochanteric fracture. METHODS:Three-dimensional finite element model of human femur unstable intertrochanteric fractures (31-A2;AO fracture classification), and the three-dimensional finite element models of dynamic hip screw and Gamma nail were established respectively, and were fixed according to the requirement of orthopedic surgery. The reference load which the joint bearing was at the peak time in adult step state period with the body mass of 700 N was stimulated. The stress distribution of bone, bone-internal fixation model, nail or screw, the strain and deformation of fracture location on the surface of the bone and bone-internal fixation model, the stress distribution along the femur and the loading transfer condition along the internal fixator and the like were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Dynamic hip screw and Gamma nail have good sliding compression features which could make the continuous and dynamical y axial compression of the fractured section. Under the load conditions, the displacement value of dynamic hip screw was larger. In the treatment of unstable intertrochanteric fracture, Gamma nail was stronger than dynamic hip screw. Two kinds of internal fixations al make the bearing load of the proximal femur reduce. In the treatment of 31-A2 type unstable intertrochanteric fractures, we should choose dynamic hip screw for fixation if the femoral calcar was not seriously crushed, little defect or no defects and can immediately rebuild the stability of femoral calcar during operation, otherwise, stronger internal fixation, namely Gamma nail fixation should be chosen.

BACKGROUND: Compared with the metal screws, absorbable screws have more obvious advantages, such as does not have to conduct internal fixation removal, non-metal ic components, no influence on the magnetic resonance imaging of patients after implantation, relatively simple operations, namely dril ing-tapping-screws fixation, more in line with the principles of minimal y invasive in orthopedics. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biomechanical characteristics of absorbable screw fixation in repair of simple lateral mal eolus fractures by means of finite element technology. METHODS: The three-dimensional model of simple lateral mal eolus fractures and absorbable screw model were established, and then fixed according to standard orthopedic surgical techniques. The reference load when the load bearing of fibulotalar joint reaching the peak value in a normal adult gait cycle was loaded. The stress distribution and displacement of fibula and absorbable screws were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There were total y 38 542 units, 8 790 nodes in the single screw fixation model. When the articular facet of lateral mal eolus loading 300 N, the maximum stress of screws was 89.35 MPa, the maximum displacement was 0.5 mm, the maximum displacement of the distal fracture was 0.5 mm. When the articular facet of lateral mal eolus loading 450 N, the maximum stress of screws was 152.58 MPa, the maximum displacement was 0.59 mm, the maximum displacement of the distal fracture was 0.77 mm. There were total y 43 115 units, 9 496 nodes in the double screws fixation model. When the articular facet of lateral mal eolus loading 300 N, the maximum stress of screws was 38 MPa, the maximum displacement was 0.44 mm, the maximum displacement of the distal fracture was 0.44 mm. When the articular facet of lateral mal eolus loading 450 N, the maximum stress of screws was 66.68 MPa, the maximum displacement was 0.48 mm, the maximum displacement of the distal fracture was 0.49 mm. The experiment verified the biomechanical feasibility of absorbable screw fixation in repair of simple lateral mal eolus fractures. For simple involving only the lower lateral fibular fracture, absorbable screw fixation is entirely feasible, and usual y requires at least two screws to maintain the stability of the articular surface of the reset.

Objective:To understand the clinical manifestations and prognosis of severe bubonic plague, and to explore the treatment experience of severe bubonic plague.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and treatment of a case of severe bubonic plague admitted to Huade County on November 11, 2019.Results:The case of bubonic plague was a 55-year-old male, and outbreak after hunting the hare at the foci. The clinical manifestations included fever, fatigue, left armpit skin hard, swelling, heat and pain, distinctness of lymph node enlargement in later stage, hiccups and pleural effusion. Laboratory tests showed diffuse intravascular coagulation (DIC), sepsis and multiple organ dysfunctions. Bubonic plague was confirmed by positive culture of Yersinia pestis and positive phage lysis test on the 3rd day after admission. After platelet, plasma, fluid resuscitation and streptomycin combined with moxixacin, DIC and multiple organ functions were restored to normal and the hard swelling subsided. The course of treatment lasted for 19 days, the body temperature returned to normal and the patient recovered. Conclusions:This patient is a severe case of bubonic plague characterized with lymphangitis, skin sclerosis and abnormal coagulation. Timely identification, evaluation, early and combined treatment is the key to successful treatment.

Objective:To explore the clinical effect of the application of intraoperative psoas major intramuscular block therapy on the complications related to the approach after multi-segmental crenel lumbar interbody fusion (CLIF).Methods:All of 68 degenerative lumbar scoliosis patients who had received multi-segmental crenel lumbar interbody fusion during January 2020 and June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether the psoas major muscle was treated with block therapy during the operation. The psoas muscle inblock group were filled with gel sponge infiltrated with a mixture of Betamethasone and lidocaine for local block therapy before closing the incision while that in the control group were not filled with gel sponge. There were 33 patients in the control group, 7 males and 26 females with an average of 65.8±7.1 years old (range: 54-81 years old); 35 cases in the block group, 9 males and 26 females with an average of 68.0±6.5 years old (range: 54-85 years old). The complications related to the approach (mainly includes pain, numbness in the front of the thigh, as well as psoas major, quadriceps muscle strength) were recorded respectively 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after surgery. The main indicators of outcome including visual analog scale (VAS) of pain, the visual analog scale (VAS) of numbness, muscle strength of psoas major and quadriceps femoris, and the incidence of complications related to the approach were compared between the two groups of patients at different time points after surgery. The clinical outcomes were assessed using the Oswestry disability index (ODI), VAS for low back pain. The radiological outcome was evaluated with Cobb angles and sagittal balance parameters (sagittal vertical axis, SVA).Results:There were no significant differences in age, gender, body mass index (BMI), number of fusion segments, operation time, and intraoperative blood loss between the two groups. The incidence of approach-related complications was 17.1% in the block group and 39.4% in the control group, with statistically significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=4.177, P=0.041). The incidence of postoperative pain, numbness in the front of the thighs, and muscle strength of psoas major in the block group (11.4%, 14.3%) were lower than those in the control group (33.3%, 36.4%) ( χ2=4.740, P=0.029; χ2=4.416, P=0.036). And for numbness in the front of thigh, the block group (14.3) was lower than control group (21.2%), but no significant difference was shown between two groups ( χ2=0.561, P=0.454). However, there was no quadriceps weakness in either group. The VAS scores of painof the block group were lower than those of the control group at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after surgery, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=2.220, P=0.031; t=2.235, P=0.031; t=2.086, P=0.044). The difference at 3 months was not statistically significant ( t=0.385, P=0.701). The muscle strength of psoas major of the block group, meanwhile, was higher than those of the control group on the 1day and 1 week after surgery, the difference was statistically significant as well ( t=2.208, P=0.032; t=2.171, P=0.034). The difference at 1 and 3 months was not statistically significant ( t=0.923, P=0.359; t=1.437, P=0.160). No statistically significant differences were found in VAS scores of numbness at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery. Postoperative low back pain and lumbar spine function were significantly improved in both groups, and there was no statistical significance between the two groups. Coronal Cobb angle and sagittal balance were significantly improved in both groups after surgery, and there was no statistical significance between the two groups. Conclusion:Psoas major intramuscular block therapy can reduce the incidence of early postoperative complications of multi-segmental CLIF. Furthermore, it was found to be effective to alleviate anterior thigh pain within 1 month, and improve psoas major muscle weakness within 1 week.

Objective:To investigate the changes of paraspinal muscles in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis (DLS) and its correlation with lumbar kyphosis.Methods:The clinical data of 67 female patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis, with an average of 65.4±5.6 years old (rang 52-83 years old), were retrospectively analyzed. There were 35 patients of DLS with lumbar degenerative kyphosis (LDK) in the DLS+LDK group, with an average of 64.60±5.40 years old (rang 52-75 years old), and 32 patients of lumbar scoliosis without lumbar kyphosis in the DLS group, with an average of 66.22±5.8 years old (rang 55-83 years old). The cross-sectional area (CSA) and the percentage of fat infiltration area (FIA%) of erector spinae and multifidus muscles of the 5 intervertebral disc levels (from L 1-2 to L 5S 1) were measured by MRI using Image J software (ver. 1.51 k, National Institutes of Health, USA). The curve direction, Cobb angle, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), thoracic kyphosis (TK), thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK), lumbar lordosis (LL), pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT) and sacral slope (SS) were evaluated and recordedin both groups using an anteroposterior radiograph in the standing position, and the correlation between the changes of paraspinal muscles and these factors was analyzed. Results:The TLK, LL, and SVA values of the DLS+LDK group (11.85°±7.89°, -9.35°±8.70° and 70.16±76.94 mm) were higher than those of the DLS group (7.47°±5.06°, -26.46°±10.26° and 39.45±38.18mm) ( t=2.73, P=0.008; t=7.38, P<0.001; t=2.10, P=0.041). The TK, PI, and SS values of the DLS+LDK group (16.36°±13.52°, 42.49°±11.70° and 11.89°±10.03°) were lower than those of the DLS group (23.60°±10.23°, 49.38°±11.92° and 21.21°±8.28°) ( t=2.45, P=0.017; t=2.38, P=0.020; t=4.13, P<0.001). The differences of Cobb and PT were not statistically significant between the two groups. The cross-sectional areas of L 1-2, L 2-3, L 3-4 intervertebral disc levels of erector spinae of the DLS+LDK group (1 328.36±339.16 mm 2, 1 331.98±305.76 mm 2 and 12 53.58±275.86 mm 2) were lower than those of the DLS group (1 564.16±312.68 mm 2, 1 574.80±325.92 mm 2 and 1 427.18±278.82 mm 2) ( t=0.40, P=0.004; t=0.81, P=0.002; t=0.306, P=0.013). The cross-sectional areas of L 1-2, L 2-3, L 3-4, L 4-5 intervertebral disc levels of multifidus muscles of the DLS+LDK group (225.07±59.80 mm 2, 228.38±87.44 mm 2, 436.40±117.99 mm 2 and 666.55±184.13 mm 2) were lower than those of the DLS group (264.28±44.27 mm 2, 384.85±75.52 mm 2, 576.10±109.92 mm 2 and 801.52±145.83 mm 2) ( t=0.21, P=0.004; t=0.42, P<0.001; t=0.52, P<0.001; t=0.37, P=0.002). The differences of FIA% of erector spinae and multifidus muscles at all lumbar spine levels were not statistically significant between the two groups. The cross-sectional areas of L 1-2, L 2-3, L 3-4 intervertebral disc levels of erector spinae and L 1-2, L 2-3, L 3-4, L 4-5 intervertebral disc levels of multifidus muscles of the two groups were negatively correlated with LL values ( r=-0.37, P=0.002; r=-0.34, P=0.005; r=-0.21, P=0.049; r=-0.34, P=0.005; r=-0.61, P<0.001; r=-0.65, P<0.001; r=-0.55, P<0.001), and positively correlated with SS ( r=0.42, P<0.001; r=0.37, P=0.002; r=0.27, P=0.027; r=0.38, P=0.001; r=0.53, P<0.001; r=0.46, P<0.001; r=0.42, P<0.001). The cross-sectional areas of L 3-4 intervertebral disc levels of erector spinae and L 1-2, L 2-3 intervertebral disc levels of multifidus muscles of the two groups were positively correlated with PI ( r=0.25, P=0.039; r=0.33, P=0.006; r=0.35, P=0.004). There was no correlation between the FIA% of erector spinae and multifidus muscles at all lumbar spine levels and the sagittal and pelvic parameters in both groups. Conclusion:Paravertebral muscle atrophy is more obvious in patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis with lumbar kyphosis, which may be related to the reduce of lumbar lordosis and sacral slope. Patients with lumbar scoliosis with a smaller PI are more likely to experience paravertebral atrophy and increased loss of lumbar lordosis, and ultimately leading to lumbar kyphosis.

Objective:To explore the perioperative management strategy for the elderly with hip fractures during the epidemic of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and evaluate its clinical effect.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted on 33 elderly patients with hip fractures admitted to Chongqing General Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, from January 20 to February 29, 2020, including 14 males and 19 females, aged 65-92 years [(76.5±6.3)years]. There were 20 patients with intertrochanteric fractures and 14 with femoral neck fractures. In total, 15 patients were combined with hypertension and 9 with diabetes. A total of 19 patients were treated with open reduction and internal fixation and 14 with total hip/semi-hip replacement. The time from injury to admission was 2-14 hours. The temperature measurement, routine blood test and chest CT examination were performed to exclude COVID-19 in all patients, which showed 12 patients with pulmonary infection. The medical staff received different levels of protection: first level protection for those in the special ward, secondary level protection for the emergency isolation ward and tertiary level protection for those collecting the throat swab samples. The time from admission to operation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay time, hospitalization time, visual analogue score (VAS), perioperative complications as well as infection of patients and medical staff were observed and recorded.Results:The time from admission to operation was (3.18±0.19)days for all patients, with (2.24±0.28)days for 21 patients with no obvious pulmonary abnormality and (4.83±0.39)days for 12 with pulmonary infection. The hospitalization time was (10.97±0.31)days in all patients, with (9.71±0.27)days for 21 patients with no obvious pulmonary abnormality and (12.51±0.78)days for 12 with pulmonary infection. After operation, 12 patients were treated in ICU for 1-3 days, and the rest 21 patients were treated in general wards. The pain of all patients was effectively controlled. The time for exercise was (4.0±1.4)days after operation in all patients, among which 19 treated with fracture reduction and internal fixation started at (4.3±1.3)days after operation and 14 treated with total hip/semi-hip replacement started at (3.6±1.3)days after operation. VAS was (4.55±0.29)points at 12 hours before operation, (5.62±1.12)points at 6 hours, (3.54±0.39)points at 24 hours, and (2.42±0.11)points at 72 hours after operation ( P<0.05). Chest CT showed that the pulmonary inflammation was significantly improved one day before discharge. There was no indication of nucleic acid detection, with no urinary tract infection, pressure sore, deep vein thrombosis or other complications were found. No infection of patients or medical staff occurred. Conclusion:During pandemic of COVID-19, early surgical treatment for the elderly with hip fractures can be done in the general wards, based on strictly following the principle of infection prevention and control and carefully evaluating the perioperative risks, which can avoid the probability of infection of patients and medical staff without prolonging the hospitalization time or increasing the incidence of complications.

Objective:To analyze the differences in paraspinal muscles between patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) with or without spondylolisthesis and to assess the correlation between these differences and lumbar facet joint degeneration.Methods:The data of 68 patients with DLSS who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital from January 2021 to April 2023 was retrospectively analyzed. Of these, 22 were male (32.4%) and 46 were female (67.6%), with an average age of 69.7±5.9 years (range: 56-80 years). The DLSS group included 35 patients without spondylolisthesis [13 males (37.1%) and 22 females (62.9%)], average age 68.5±5.9 years (range: 56-80 years), while the DLSS+degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) group included 33 patients with spondylolisthesis [9 males (27.3%) and 24 females (72.7%)], average age 70.9±5.7 years (range: 58-80 years). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the L 3-S 1 intervertebral disc levels were collected from all patients. Using ImageJ software, the cross-sectional area (CSA) and percentage of fat infiltration area (FIA%) of the erector spinae and multifidus muscles were measured. Additionally, the facet joint angle (FJA), facet overhang (FO), and facet effusion (FE) were evaluated using Surgimap software, and their correlation with CSA and FIA% of the paraspinal muscles was analyzed. Results:The FJA and FO in the DLSS+DS group (50.16°±11.08° and 7.67±2.25 mm) were significantly larger than those in the DLSS group (43.51°± 7.75° and 3.88±1.98 mm) ( P<0.05). However, differences in FE between the two groups were not statistically significant. The cross-sectional areas of the multifidus muscles at L 3, 4, L 4, 5, and L 5S 1 in the DLSS+DS group (576.66±112.70 mm 2,, 782.72±141.49 mm 2, and 817.88±185.22 mm 2,, respectively) were significantly smaller than those in the DLSS group (647.37±165.44 mm 2,, 881.20±202.10 mm 2,, and 995.06±211.25 mm 2,, respectively) ( P<0.05). The FIA% of the erector spinae at L 3, 4, L 4, 5, and L 5S 1 in the DLSS+DS group (11.47%±5.14%, 14.84%±6.15%, 20.82%±7.41%) were significantly higher than those in the DLSS group (6.27%±2.83%, 10.81%±4.84%, 16.17%±5.88%) ( P<0.05). Similarly, the FIA% of the multifidus muscles at L 3, 4, L 4, 5, and L 5S 1 in the DLSS+DS group (18.04%±5.88%, 19.67%±5.78%, 19.31%±8.61%) were significantly higher than those in the DLSS group (9.85%±4.39%, 12.27%±3.70%, 14.65%±3.82%) ( P<0.05). No statistically significant differences were found in the CSA of the erector spinae at these levels between the two groups. The CSA of the multifidus muscles at L 3, 4, L 4, 5, and L 5S 1 in both groups were negatively correlated with FJA and FO ( r=-0.318, P=0.008; r=-0.381, P=0.001; r=-0.439, P<0.001; r=-0.290, P=0.016; r=-0.315, P=0.009; r=-0.479, P<0.001). The FIA% of the erector spinae at L 3, 4, L 4, 5, and the multifidus muscles at L 4, 5 and L 5S 1 were positively correlated with FJA ( r=0.352, P=0.003; r=0.344, P=0.004; r=0.300, P=0.013; r=0.359, P=0.003). Additionally, the FIA% of the erector spinae at L 3, 4, L 4, 5, and L 5S 1, and the multifidus muscles at L 3, 4 and L 4, 5 were positively correlated with FO ( r=0.409, P=0.001; r=0.248, P=0.042; r=0.277, P=0.022; r=0.500, P<0.001; r=0.447, P<0.001). There was no correlation between FE and CSA or FIA% of the erector spinae and multifidus muscles at L 3, 4, L 4, 5, and L 5S 1 in either group. Furthermore, FJA was positively correlated with FO ( r=0.369, P=0.002), but no correlation was observed between FE and FJA or FO. Conclusion:Compared to patients with lumbar spinal stenosis, those with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis with spondylolisthesis exhibit more severe paraspinal muscle atrophy, a more sagittal orientation of the facet joints, and a higher degree of facet joint osteoarthritis. Patients with larger FJA and FO show more severe paraspinal muscle atrophy.