The fractures of the distal femur are difficult to treat due to its severity of injuries and various complications. Recently, the complications including nonunion, delayed union and joint stiffness have decreased with development of new fixation device, technics and encouraging the early joint motion. We studied 50 cases of fractures treated at our hospital from January, 1980 to July, 1988 and the results obtained from this study were as follows:1. The age distribution was between 11 and 77 year-old, and the 3rd. 4th. decades were 64 % of total patients. 2. The most common cause of injuries was traffic accident(62%), and the open fractures were more common than the fractures of other reports(48%). 3. The types of fracture were unicondylar(21 cases), simple supracondylar(8), and intercondylar (21), according to Chiron's classification, and the intercondylar fractures were subdivided into type I (2 cases), type II A(6), type II B(10) and type III (3) by Neer's. 4. Among the 50 cases, the conservative treatments were done in 19 cases and the surgical one in 31 cases. The conservative treatments were done for undisplaced or minimal displsced fractures and the cases whose general conditions were so poor that operation were impossible. 5. In surgical treatments, the open reduction and the internal fixation(25 cases), the externsl fixation(4), the knee fusion(1) and the A-K amputation(1) were done. 6. The postoperative complications were joint stiffness(11 cases), malunion(3), delayed union(3) and infection(3). 7. The satisfactory results could be obtained by the open reduction and rigid internal fixation followed by early continous passive motion exercise of knee joint.
Age Distribution ; Classification ; Clinical Study ; Femur ; Fractures, Open ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Postoperative Complications

No abstract available.
Follow-Up Studies* ; Spinal Stenosis*

From Nov. 1986 to May 1988, we experienced 5 patients of bilateral recurrent patellar dislocation and obtained the following results:1. The age at operation raaged from 17 to 25 years. Among 5 patients, four were female and one, male. 2. The age at the onset of symptom ranged from 7 to 16 years. 3. The common presenting symptoms were pain(5 knees), giving way(4), grating(4), swelling (3), and weakness(2). 4. The roentgenographic findings were lateral patella tilt(9 knees), lateral femoral condyle hypoplasia(6), patella alta(2), patella dysplasia(2), and accessory ossification center(2). 5. All knees were treated by Hughston technique:One patient(2 knees) was treated with proximal realignment only, and the others(7 knees) were with proximal and distal realignments. 6. Follow up period ranged from 1 to 2 years. And the excellent to good result was obtained from the patients treated with proximal and distal realignments(excellent in 4 knees, good in 2 knees), the fair result from the patient treated with proximal realignment only(2 knees), and the poor result from the patient slipped down at 6 weeks postoperatively(1 knee).
Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Male ; Patella ; Patellar Dislocation

Gold Sodium Thiomalate (Myochrysine) used for rheumatoid arthritis has been known that it can cause the long term remission by its antimicrobial action, cell metabolism, complement activation and by activating the cell related to immunologic response. Accordingly the effect and side effect of gold theraphy has long been an object of concern. Authors clinically analyzed cases of 49 rheumatoid arthritis patients who were treated with gold and the mean duration of follow-up was 2.7 years. 50mg of Gold Sodium Thiomalate was injected intramuscularly in accordance with weekly based check up of symptom improvement & side effect. The interval of injection was prolonged and maintained to 4 weeks or 6 weeks when the total amount of injected gold was reached to 1gm or 1.2gm. The over-all symptom remission was forty (82%) and twenty five (51%) showed symptom remission and its maintenance. In symptom remission group, the change of laboratory findings was the reduction of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) from 59.7 to 32.3. As for side effects, dermatitis found in 16 cases was the most common and stomatitis found in 8 cases. There were others such as irritation symptom of gastrointestinal system & nephritis and 7 cases where the injection was stopped because of side effects was found out. Considering the above results, Gold Sodium Thiomalate is regarded as one of the effective methods for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis when it is used electively paying heed to side effect.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Blood Sedimentation ; Complement Activation ; Dermatitis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gold Sodium Thiomalate ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Nephritis ; Stomatitis

The fractures of tibial shaft are common and open injury are also frequenly accompanied. Since the AO unreamed interlocking nail is solid type compared to present tubular type nail, it has no dead space, and without reaming the intramedullary blood supply can be preserved and the soft tissue trauma can be minimized. Therefore it can be used with minor risk of infection in the treatment of open tibial shaft fractures without secondary operation such as in the cases using external fixaters. Especially in Orientals, whose tibial medullary canal is narrower than Smm, it can be used ideally. From October 1991, we have experienced 14 cases of tibial shaft fractures treated with AO unreamed interlocking nail. Among 14 cases, the open fractures were 8, 4 cases were type 1 and 4 cases were type 2 by Gustilo classification. Among 6 cases of closed fractures, 4 cases had risk of post operative infection due to accompanying soft tissue injuries, such as abrasion or bulla and 2 cases had narrow intramedullary canal less than 8mm. There was no postoperative infection in all cases including open fractures, and the soft tissue defect could be reconstruted by muscle transfer, etc. The AO unreamed interlocking nail is thought to be recommendable in the treatment of open tibial shaft fracture, closed fracture with risk of postoperative infection, and also the fracture with narrow canal diameter less than 8mm.
Classification ; Fractures, Closed ; Fractures, Open ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Tibia

Recently, tuberculosis of bone and joint is decreased with good nutrition and environment, development of preventive medicine and improvement of treatment regimen. But it is still one of the common inflammatory diseases in Korea, and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of common orthopedic complaints. There are few reports on extraspinal tuberculosis of bone and joint. Forty one cases of extraspinal tuberculosis of bone and joint were studied in our department from January 1988 to August 1993. The results were as follows; l. Extraspinal tuberculosis of bone and joint were 41 cases (39 patients, 27.8% of 147 tuberculosis of bone and joint including spine). 2. The proportion of children and young adults was 56%, hips were involved in 11 cases, knee joints in 8 cases, ankle joints in 6 cases, feet in 6 cases and elbow joints in 5 cases. 3. Coexisting pulmonary tuberculosis was found in 19 patients and active lesion in 15 patients. 4. Confirmative diagnosis could be made by smear and culture of the lesion or pathologic findings or recently available polymerase chain reaction(PCR) method. 5. Various treatment, such as antituberculous medication, external immobilization, synovectomy, curettage and bone graft, arthrodesis, had been carried out. 6. Reactivation of other site was found in 7.3%(3 cases) and resistant tendency was found in 9.7%(4 cases).
Ankle Joint ; Arthrodesis ; Child ; Curettage ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Elbow Joint ; Foot ; Hip ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Korea ; Methods ; Orthopedics ; Preventive Medicine ; Transplants ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; Young Adult

To evaluate the results of anterior decompression and fusion with autogenous bone graft for cervical disc disease, the authors reviewed 18 cases of cervical disc herniation which were treated surgically at Inje Univ. Paik Hosp. from 1990 to 1994 with special interest in the thickness of the bone graft. All cases have been followed for more than 12 months. We try to know the clinical results of anterior decompression and fusion with autogenous bone graft. At this treatment, controversial point is a ideal thickness of graft and the width of distraction. Therefore, we follow up the correlation between thickness of graft on roentgenogram and clinical results. The clinical results were satisfactory as excellent in 11 cases, good in 5 cases according to criteria of Robinson et al. Successful fusion occured in 16 cases within 3 months after their initial procedure, and fusion failure resulted in 2 cases. 3mm distraction from baseline disc height was considered ideal thickness of graft after anterior decompression and all cases healed successfully. We concluded that 3mm distraction from baseline disc height is necessary for successful decompression & fusion.
Decompression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Transplants

There are many advantages in treating long bone fractures with interlocking intramedullary nail and its advantages are well known. Although it is used widely, many major and minor complication can develop in spite of meticulous operation techniques. Frist fifty consecutive interlooking intramedullary nail of two different surgeon, total of 100 cases that were operated in Seoul Paik Hospital from January, 1991 to July, 1994, were reviewed and the complications were analyzed with various factors. 1. Among the 100 cases, a total of 30(30%) major and minor complications had developed. But only 4 major complications which needed reoperation or poor result occurred. 2. Among the complications that had developed, angulation and rotation deformity being 10 cases were the most common, other complications were delayed union in 5 cases, nonunion in 2 cases, problem of screw in 4 cases, metal failure in 2 cases, misentry point in 2 cases and others in 5 cases. 3. There were no remarkable difference between surgeon A and surgeon B. The complications decreased abruptly after 30th case for each surgeon and only a few complications, probably due to complex fracture pattern, occurred. In conclusion, complications after interlocking intramedullary nailing can be reduced by meticulous preoperative planning and learning process of surgeon.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Fractures, Bone ; Learning ; Reoperation ; Seoul

Differential diagnosis of vertebral lesion by simple radiography is not so easy whether the lesion is benign or malignant. The purpose of this study is to evaluate that the magnetic resonance imaging characteristics can differentiate benign or malignant vertebral lesions. In this study, thirty-nine cases of signal change within the vertebral body by MRI was reviewed retrospectively and the followings are the summary of the results. It is difficult to differenciate benign or malignant lesions, only based on MRI signal changes or vertebral lesion patterns. But those cases of pedicle involvement, complete replacement of bone marrow in T1image and associated soft tissue mass or cord compression are strongly suggest the possibility of malignancy and need further study.
Bone Marrow ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine

No abstract available.
Endothelial Cells* ; Hantaan virus* ; Humans* ; Umbilical Veins*