As a decompression means, the fasciotomy has been of good evaluation in many diseases such as impending V.I.C., ischemic myositis due to CO poisoning, snake bite, burn, anterior tibial compartment syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome and gas gangrene, etc. From 1966 to 1973, 7 cases of snake bites and 5 cases of the ischemic myositis due to CO poisoning were treated at the Orthopedic Department of Seoul National University Hospital and the results were as follows; 1. All cases of the snake bites had got good results without any complication after the fasciotomy, while the fasciotomy performed in the ischemic myositis due to CO poisoning were not effective. 2. The time elapsed from the snake bite to the fasciotomy had a close relation to the prognosis. 3. In the 4 of 5 cases of the ischemic myositis due to CO poisoning, infections were superimposed on the fasciotomy sites. 4. The inappropriately continuous use of the tourniquet for hours after the snake bites caused worse prognosis.
Burns ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ; Compartment Syndromes ; Decompression ; Extremities ; Gas Gangrene ; Myositis ; Orthopedics ; Poisoning ; Prognosis ; Seoul ; Snake Bites ; Tourniquets

As trochanteric fractures frequently occur in the elderly patients and complications such as pneumonia, thrombo-embolic disease, decubitus ulcer, and urinary tract infection are common, early mobilization after open reduction and internal fixation with hip nail are the standard treatment. Since 1931 when Smith-Peterson first introduced a tri-flanged nail, further more, since 1941 when Jewett pioneered the one-piece nail by adding a solid plate to a Smith-Peterson nail, numorous implants including threaded pins, screws, nails, and plates have been modified and desiged for fractured hips till now to achieve early ambulation and to maintain stable reduction. In 1955 Pugh and Ken introduced a sliding nail-plate and Schumpelick described the use of sliding screw-plate, which was modified further by Callender and Holt pioneered the concept of heavy nail in 1963. Recently compression sliding screw-plate is popular. Also many surgeons such as Evans, Dimon and Hughston, Sarmiento, and Boyd and Anderson have attempted to provide stable fixation of fracture by altering the position of fracture fragments to improve the mechanical resistances of bone to disruptive forces of weight-bearing. The surgical procedures of open reduction and internal fixation were carried out and followed for more than 6 months on 45 intertrochanteric fractures at Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, from Jan. 1968 to June. 1975 and the results were observed as follows. 1. Of 45 cases of inter-trochanteric fractures 28 cases occurred in man, 17 cases in woman and each mean age was 54 years in man, 74 years in woman. 2. Of fixation devices, Smith-Peterson nail-plates were used in 19 cases, Jewett nails in 15 cases, compression sliding screw-plates in 9 cases, Smith-Peterson nail in 1 case, and Ken sliding nail-plate in 1 case. 3. Stable fractures occurred in 10 cases were fixed internaly after anatomical reduction. 4. Dimon-Hughston reductions and Jewett Nailing were achieved in 11 cases of 12 unstabIe fractures and had disadvantages such as some limitation of R.O.M. of the affected hip, shortening, and valgus deformity. 5. Of 9 unstable fractures treated by compression sliding screw-plate 7 cases were reduced as anatomicaly as possible and 2 cases were reduced non-anatomicaly because of impossible anatomical reduction but good results were obtained except one failed nailing. 6. Of 7 failures, 6 cases resuIted from failures of nailing during operation and only 1 failure resulted in varus defermity after Dimen-Hughston reduction with Jewett nail.
Aged ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Early Ambulation ; Female ; Hip ; Hip Fractures ; Humans ; Orthopedics ; Pneumonia ; Pressure Ulcer ; Seoul ; Surgeons ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Weight-Bearing

Clinical observation of thirty-eight cases of pyogenic osteomyelitis of the spine for the period of eleven years, from 1965, at Seoul National University Hospital was carried out with the following results. 1. The incidence of pyogenic osteomyelitis of the spine among total cases of the pyogenic osteomyelitis was 6.9% and the ratio between the spine tuberculosis and the pyogenic osteomyelitis of the spine was 1:0.067. 2. The sex ratio between male and female wss 3.8: 1 The incidence was higher ia the second and third decade and the average prevalent age was 30.8 years of age. 3. The site of infection was in the lumbar vertebrae in 25 cases(66%), thoracic in seven(19%), lumbosacral in three, sacral in two and cervical in one. In the region of a vertebra, the vertebral body was affected in 33 cases (87%) and the neural arch and processes in other 5 cases (13%) 4. The causative micro-organism was isolated in 27 cases from the diseased focus; coagulase positive staphylococcus in 18 cases (67%), streptococcus in one, salmonella in one and the mixed infection in two. 5. Frequent clinical symptoms and signs were back pain, tenderness, muscle spasm, fever and chillness, and limited motion of the spine. 6. The roetgenographic findings were in order of disc space narrowing, destruction of the vertebral body, kyphosis or loss of lordosis, erosion, bony bridging or spur formation, sclerosis and paravertebral abscess. 7. The conservative treatment was performed in 14 cases. Among 7 cases in which the follow-up was possible, only 3 cases obtained the satisfactory result, four cases were readmitted for the recurrence and two cases among them needed the operative treatment later. The operative treatment was peformed in 26 cases; The focal curettage with anterior interbody fusion through anterior approach was carried out in 13 cases with the satisfactory result in almost all cases. 8. The advantages of the operative treatment were that the isolation of the offending organism was efficient and the definite diagnosis was feasible, and especially in cases of anterior spinal fusion the healing and union of the infected spine was better clinically and roetgenographically in comparision with those of conservative treatment, in which the expected spontaneous fusion was not found in any case and the recurrence was also frequent.
Abscess ; Animals ; Back Pain ; Coagulase ; Coinfection ; Curettage ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kyphosis ; Lordosis ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Myalgia ; Osteomyelitis ; Recurrence ; Salmonella ; Sclerosis ; Seoul ; Sex Ratio ; Spasm ; Spinal Fusion ; Spine ; Staphylococcus ; Streptococcus ; Tuberculosis

Great strides has been made in the past 20 years in the treatment of scoliosis. Treatment before scoliosis becomes severe eliminates the need for extensive surgery. Early detection of scoliosis by school screening has proven to be valuable for early diagnosis and prevention of severe deformities. Authors screened 5,256 middle and high school students in Seoul, who were chosen arbitrarily, to determine the incidence rates of scoliosis, and following results were obtained. 1. Scoliosis was diagnosed on a combination of at least one positive physical sign and a lateral curvature more than 5 degrees on an antero-posterior standing X-ray. 2. The overall incidence of scoliosis was 4.68% (Male 0.74%, Female 6.43%). 3. Idiopathic scoliosis was found in 238 students, congenital scoliosis in 5, and paralytic scoliosis in 3. 4. The most common pattern of curvature was thoracic curve. 5. In the single curve right to left ratio was 2.1, but 8.4 in the upper curve of double curve. 6. Close observations were required for all the 246 students and treatment was required in 14 students who had more than 20 degrees, 9 students for Milwaukee brace, and 5 students for surgical correction.
Braces ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Scoliosis ; Seoul

The result of interference with the conductibility of the spinal cord is one of the most disabling and distressing complications of splnal tuberculosis. This fact was recognized as early as in 1779, when Pott published. The antituberculous drugs and improved surgical treatment have made possible a more effective treatment than before and improved the prognosis but not solved all problems completely. The following results were shown by analysis of 63 cases of spinal tuberculosls with neurological symptom experienced in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University in the past 9.5 years from Jan. 1970 to Jun. 1979. 1. Number of cases In child was 15. (29%). 2. Pulmonary and other tuberculous diseases were manifested in 29 cases (46%). 3. Regions of the spine inovolved were most common In thoracic spine (43 cases), especially lower thoracic spine. 4. There were 49 early and 14 late paraplegia 5. There were 24 complete and 39 incomplete paraplegia. 6. Spastic type was more common than flaccid type. 7. Anterior fusion was done in 55 cases and costotransversectomy in 8. 8. There were 36 cases (57%) of complete recovery and 8 of fallure. 9. The prognosis for recovery from paraplegia appeared to depend on age, duration, type and onset of paraplegia.
Child ; Humans ; Muscle Spasticity ; Orthopedics ; Paraplegia ; Prognosis ; Seoul ; Spinal Cord ; Spine ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Spinal

A clinical study of the Tibial Shaft fracture was made on 128 patients, who had been treated at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine Kyung Hee Universlty from the October, 1971 to May, 1979. The results were as follows: 1. The rate of fracture union was accelerated under the age of 20 years but it was slow in aged group. 2. The poor prognosis of fracture union was shown in junction between middle and distal 1/3 than others. 3. The better prognosis of the fracture type was shown in oblique and spiral fracture than in the comminuted and segmental. 4. There was prolonged rate of union in case of associated fibula fracture. 5. The frequency of delayed and nonunion were more prevalent in open fracture. 6. Among the open comminuted tibial shaft fracture with skin and soft tissue loss, the good results was obtained by the Hoffmanns external skeletal fixation method.
Classification ; Clinical Study ; Fibula ; Fracture Fixation ; Fractures, Open ; Humans ; Methods ; Orthopedics ; Prognosis ; Skin

Fifty-seven cases of non-union examined and treated at Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital during the period of 1968 to 1979 were observed and analysed. The results were summarized as follows: 1. Of the 57 cases,there were 43 male and 14 female patients. This result showed marked predominence of male over female patients. 2. Non-unions most commonly occured between 21 and 40 of age. 3. The causes of the fractures consisted of 22 traffic accidents, 20 fallings, 7 machinery injuries, 6 direct blows, and 2 chronic osteomyelitis. 4. Of the 57 cases, there were 20 open fractures and 37 closed fractures. 5. The sites of nonunion were lower extremities in 41 cases and upper extremities in 16 cases. The femur, 31 cases, was most commonly involved. 6. The mean duration from fracture to diagnosis of non-union was 14.8 months. 7. Prior to admission to this hospital, one received no treatment at all, 23 were treated conservatively, and the remaining 33 treated operatively. 8. Probable causes of the nonunions were unsatisfactory immobilization in 26 cases, operative complications in-24, infections in 3, interpositions of the soft tissues in 3, and separations of fragments in 1. 9. All patients received surgical operations, which were successful in 87.7%.
Accidents, Traffic ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Femur ; Fractures, Closed ; Fractures, Open ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Orthopedics ; Osteomyelitis ; Seoul ; Upper Extremity

Chordomas are maligaant tumors which arise in the remnants of the embryonic notochord, and exhibit a definite predilection for the extremes of the spinal axis, the great majority arising either in the basioccipital or in the sacrococcy geal regions. Particularly, complete surgical removal is almost impossible, therefore, local recurrence after the surgical removal of this tumor is common or rule. This report describes a csse of chordoma arising sacrococcygeal region treated with block resection.
Chordoma ; Notochord ; Recurrence ; Sacrococcygeal Region

The development of a safe method of transfer of the greater toe for thumb reconstruction, using dorsalis pedis artery and the great saphenous vein, suggested the possibility of one stage microvascular transfer of the second toe for reconstruction of surgery. Based upon our part experience with microsurgical experiments, limb transplantation and toe-to-thumb transplantation since 1975, we accomplished the second toe-to-index transplantation done in Korea on October 24, 1979, and succeeded in one stage second toe-to-index transplantation in two cases. Following results were obtained. I. Free second toe-to index transplantation on making a index is the most excellent method of index reconstruction with results in minimum functional and cosmetic impairment. 2. Technically, skin incision, isolation of blood vessels and flexor tendon in preparation for transplantation of second toe is more difficult than that of greater toe. 3. The specialized microsurgical training with skillful technique is essential for success.
Arteries ; Blood Vessels ; Extremities ; Korea ; Methods ; Microsurgery ; Saphenous Vein ; Skin ; Tendons ; Thumb ; Toes

Fracture dislocation or dislocation of the knee can produce a popliteal artery injury that may be difficult to evaluate clinically. Diagnosis of disruption or thrombosis of the popliteal artery is frequently delayed until the opportunity to salvage the extremity is lost. 22 cases of popliteal artery injury were reviewed from July 1978 to December 1983, associated with severe knee trauma at the Orthopaedic department of Kyung Hee University Hospital, of whom average follow-up for about 52 months. The results obtained were as follows; 1. In all 22 cases, 14 cases (63. 6%) were amputated. The amputation rate was correlated with ischemic time after injury. 2. Resection of all injuried vessels with reconstitution of continuity by the use of an interposed saphenous vein graft is often warrented to avoid tension. 3. All 8 patients, which was managed conservatively, were amputated in all cases(100%). In cases of suspicious popliteal artery injury, early aggressive exploration and obvious microvascular reconstruction should be mandatory. 4. Subperiosteal fibulectomy-fasciotomy should be done routinely immediately after vascular injury. 5. Diagnosis of popliteal artery injury was based on the clinical findings but the capillary filling was not contributary. 6. The use of Doppler flowmeter and emergency arteriography was recognizedtobeanexcellent methods in determination of arterial injury.
Amputation ; Angiography ; Capillaries ; Diagnosis ; Dislocations ; Emergencies ; Extremities ; Flowmeters ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Popliteal Artery ; Saphenous Vein ; Thrombosis ; Transplants ; Vascular System Injuries