Although joint infection with severe destruction remains a serious problem and severe bone loss is relative contraindication of arthrodesis, knee arthrodesis is most commonly a salvage procedure. Its goals are to relieve pain and restore the patient to functional level of activity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results and complications of Ilizarov method for knee arthrodesis in the presence of infection. We retrospectively reviewed the records of twelve patients who had managed with knee arthrodesis with Ilizarov method. Indications for the operation included a infected skeletal defect secondary severe open trauma in four patients, an infection at the site of an arthroplasty in three (with failure of previous arthrodesis with monofixator in one), an infected charcot joint in four and one pyogenic arthritis spreading from osteomyelitis of proximal tibia. The average age of the patients at the time of operation was fifty-three years (range twenty-two to eighty years). Follow-up averaged 17 months. The minimum follow up periods was 9 months. Average duration of Ilizarov fixator application was 7.2 months. In 3 cases we performed corticotomy and internal bone transport to treat large bone defect (17cm, 8cm, 6.5cm). Autoiliac bone graft was done in fusion site in two cases, and in three cases we performed bone graft at the docking site. Solid osseous union occured in each patient. There was no reinfection and nonunion. Average shortening was 3.4 cm. Complications were related to pin tract. When last seen, all patients were free of pain and could walk without cruthes or cane. Despite its pin tract problems, bulky cumbersome and expensive apparatus, the Ilizarov method is one of effective method for knee arthrodesis in the presence of infection and large bone loss especially.
Arthritis ; Arthrodesis* ; Arthropathy, Neurogenic ; Arthroplasty ; Canes ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ilizarov Technique* ; Joints ; Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Osteomyelitis ; Retrospective Studies ; Tibia ; Transplants

Trichorhinophalangeal syndiome, a rare genetic disease, is characterzed by the triad of slow growing, brittle hair with early loss, a pear-shaped nose with bulbous tip and long philtrum, and coneshaped phalangeal epiphyses wiith resultant shortening and. deformity of hands and feet. A 24-year-old female visited our department for the evaluation of lalopecia. She had had sparse, thin, and brittle hair since birth. She also complained of short fingers ar d a pear-shaped nose with bulbous tip. The X-ray findings of her hands and feet showed cone-shaped epiphyses with shortening of the phalangeal bones. There was no family history of hair, nasal, or palnkoplantar phalangeal abnormality. Chromosomal study did not reveel any abnormal finding. Shortened phalangeal bones of her index and middle fingers were slightly improved by lengthening procedure with iIlizarov apparatus.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Epiphyses ; Female ; Fingers ; Foot ; Hair ; Hand ; Humans ; Lip ; Nose ; Parturition ; Young Adult

Purpose: As industries develop rapidly, the risk of heavy metals pollution and exposure in the environmentand food is increasing. Even the slightest amount of heavy metals can be harmful to the human body, especiallyin newborn babies. This study aimed to estimate the heavy metals content in breast milk and identifyrelated factors. Methods: Thirty-nine lactating mothers admitted to the postpartum care center in Changwon city betweenJuly 15 and September 20, 2019 were recruited. Barium, cadmium, cobalt, nickel, and lead concentrationsin breast milk were measured using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. Collecteddata were analyzed using independent t-test, 1-way analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U-test,Kruskal-Wallis test, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: The average concentration of heavy metals in breast milk (mg/kg) were as fellow: barium, 3.68±1.29; cadmium, 0.03±0.06; cobalt, 0.10±0.19; nickel, 0.22±0.27; and lead, 0.13±0.26. There was a significantdifference between lead concentration and monthly household income (t=2.46, p=0.019). Therewas a difference between a family history of diabetes and hypertension and barium concentration (t=1.97,p=0.056) and between smoking history and nickel concentration (t=-1.95, p=0.058), but they were notstatistically significant. A significantly positive correlation was observed between cobalt and cadmiumconcentrations (r=0.93, p<0.001), and a significant negative correlation was observed between nickel andcadmium concentrations (r=-0.40, p=0.010) and cobalt concentration (r=-0.46, p=0.003). In addition,lead concentration showed a significant negative correlation with age (r=-0.39, p=0.013). Conclusions Guidelines for safe levels of heavy metals concentrations in breast milk need to be establishedand lactating mothers should consider the risk factors related to heavy metals poisoning such as dietaryintake, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

Exposure with the tibial tubercle osteotomy was done for ten revisions and one primary total knee replacements out of 200 total knee arthroplasties performed from 1985 to 1996. The cases were analyzed with regard to complications and technical considerations. The preoperative diagnoses were infected total knee arthroplasty in seven, aseptic loosening in three and one ankylosed knee. Eixtensive exposure was achieved enough for debridement and reimplantation. The tubercle was fixed with two or three 3.5mm screws. The average duration of follow up was 30 months. Post operative knee flexion averaged 87 degrees. There were two complications, one avulsion of the fragment and one tibial fracture. The advantage of this procedure included wide exposure for difficult knee surgeries and more proximal fixation for improved flexion.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Debridement ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Knee* ; Osteotomy* ; Replantation ; Tibial Fractures

No abstract available.
Intervertebral Disc* ; Zygapophyseal Joint*

STUDY DESIGN: Authors experienced three cases of malignant schwannoma arising from multiple neurofibromatosis and invading the vertebrae. OBJECTIVE: To report treatment results and preventive idea in three cases of malignant schwannoma transformed from neurofibromatosis within the retroperifoneal area and invading the vertebrae. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The patients with neurofibromatosis are clearly at increased risk to develop the malignant schwannoma. A review of Korean literature revealed no such cases. RESULTS: The first case presented in the L4 body and was treated by surgical excision and chemotherapy, but she expired due to secondary metastasis in six months after diagnosis. The second case was treated by diagnostic biopsy and chemotherapy with adriamycin, ifosfamide, DTIC, mesna. He eventually lived for 14 months. After a diagnostic biopsy, the third case died due to lung metastasis before we could begin the treatment. CONCLUSION: We recommend that neurofibromatsis patients be regularly followed-up and if necessary, CT examination of spine or abdomen should be done. If a malignant schwannoma is detected, then early treatment can be started.
Abdomen ; Biopsy ; Dacarbazine ; Diagnosis ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Ifosfamide ; Lung ; Mesna ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibromatoses ; Spine*

STUDY DESIGN: This case report presents a 50-year-old patient with tabetic Charcoal spinal arthropathy combined with spinal stenosis, and its management. OBJECTIVES: To present the case report and follow-up results of Charcoal arthropathy with spinal stenosis of the lumbosacral spine, which was treated by circumferential fusion with instrumentation and decompressive laminectomy. LITERATURE REVIEW: Most reports of Charcot spine mention the etiology, clinical characteristics, pathology, and management of the condition. Surgical management of Chariot spines with spinal stenosis are rare. There is no report of the two-stage procedure of circumferential fusion and decom-pression for Charcot spine with spinal stenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patient complained of back pain, radiating pain to both lower legs, and 100m neurologic claudication. Serologic testing was positive in VDRL and FTA-ABS tests. Surgical treat-nent consisted of anterior resection of the L5 body with an autogenous iliad bone graft. It was followed by a posterior wide laminectomy of L5 for spinal stenosis, and CD instrumentation with transpedicular screws was applied to L3-S1 with lateral bone graft. RESULTS: At 27 months follow-up, clinical symptoms of back pain and radiating pain were disappeared. The patient walked without claudication, and satisfied with her condition. Firm bony fusions from L3 to S1 were obtained. There was no evidence of further destruction or neural compromise in the 27 months following surgery. CONCLUSION: A case of Charcoal arthropathy of the lumbosacral spine with spinal stenosis of L3-5 and L5-S1 has been reported, and the pathology, clinical features, and management of this condition were discussed. Circumferential fusion for Charcot spine and wide decompressive laminectomy for spinal stenosis are advisable.
Back Pain ; Charcoal ; Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody-Absorption Test ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Leg ; Middle Aged ; Pathology ; Pathology, Clinical ; Serologic Tests ; Spinal Stenosis* ; Spine* ; Transplants

We tested the hypothesis that the extent of necrosis at the initial MRI predicts the subsequent risk of collapse of the femoral head in a randomized clinical trial conducted to compare the core decompression to the conservative treatment. After the initial clinical evaluation including plain roentgenography and MRI, 37 hips of early-stage osteonecrosis (ON) in 33 patients were randomly assigned to core decompression group or conservative treatment group. All the patients were regularly followed by clinical evaluation including plain roentgenography and MRI at three-month intervals. The extent of ON was estimated on the basis of the percentage of abnormal signal intensity in the weight-bearing portion of the femoral head as determined on a combination in coronal aod sagittal MR images. The angle of necrotic portion in mid-coronal image (A) and that in mid-sagittal image (B) were used to quantify the extent of necrotic portion by the formula; (A/180) x (B/180) x 100%. A strong association was observed between the percentage of necrotic portion and the development of collapse. We concluded that the extent of necrotic portion is a major risk factor of the collapse and proposed a systematic method of classifying the percentage of necrotic portion, which might be useful as a predictive index for the fate of early-stage ON.
Classification* ; Decompression ; Head* ; Hip ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Necrosis ; Osteonecrosis* ; Radiography ; Risk Factors ; Weight-Bearing

No abstract available.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip*

High tibial osteotomy has been widely accepted as a method of treatments for middle-aged varus osteoarthritides with uncompartmental involvements. There have been several reports regarding the managements of fibula and their complications during the valgization procedure of tibia. They are, for example, osteotomy of fibular diaphysis or neck and excision of fibular head. Each level of fibular management is often complicated by nonunison, peroneal nerve palsy and lateral instability respectively. We have reviewed 20 cases of cases of high tibial osteotomy using proximal tibiofibular arthrolysis performed between March 1987 and February 1993. This method has proved excellent exposure of upper lateral tibia for the wedge removal, internal fixation and relief of the tethering effect of fibula. There was no peroneal nerve palsy relate to this degenerative change of the proximal tibiofibular was 3.4mm(range 1-11mm) and there was neither degenerative change of the proximal tibiofibular joint nor varus instability. In conclusion the arthrolysis of proximal tibiofibular joint can be highly recommended in high tibial osteotomy.
Diaphyses ; Fibula ; Head ; Joints ; Methods ; Neck ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy ; Paralysis ; Peroneal Nerve ; Tibia