No abstract available.
Animals ; Evoked Potentials, Motor* ; Rats*

Peripheral nerve injury is relatively common in post-trauma surgery. Although various microsurgical techniques and repair methods can recover the continuity of the injurcd nerve. But, functional recovery achive is difficult. The purpose of this study examines the effect of electrical stimulation on muscle strength or sensibility increase in hrachial plexus injury with clinical results. We have retrospectively analyzed 44 cases of brachial plexus injury. The group(20 cases) which received nerve surgery and electrical stimulation was compared with the group(24 cases) which received nerve surgery only. Electrical stimulation was performed to nerve for axonal regeneration-strength & sensibility(18 cases) and to muscle for strengh(2 cases). All cases had heen evaluated for motor power recovery by 24 months after nerve surgery. A significant difference(P<0.05) between the power of elhow flexion and shoulder abduction, hut not sensibility of forearm in the two groups suggests that electrical stimulation to nerve or muscle enhanced the progress of nerve regeneration or muscle strength respectively. The results suggest that electricai stimulation is promising supplementary method for functional recovery in brachial plexus injury.
Axons* ; Brachial Plexus* ; Electric Stimulation* ; Forearm ; Muscle Strength ; Nerve Regeneration ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries ; Regeneration* ; Retrospective Studies ; Shoulder

Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a relatively recent procedure in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Bone cement embolism is a severe and potentially life-threatening complication of percutaneous vertebroplasty with cement. The risk for cement pulmonary embolism ranges between 3.5 and 23% for osteoporotic fractures. Bone cement leakage may be usually more frequent with vertebroplasty than with kyphoplasty. We experienced a 69-year-old female patient of an asymptomatic pulmonary embolus (length 8 cm) after kyphoplasty for an osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture
Aged ; Embolism ; Female ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Kyphoplasty ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Vertebroplasty

No abstract available.
Achilles Tendon* ; Humans ; Rupture* ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*

Acute compartment syndrome of the lower leg and foot is a surgical emergency. The clinical symptoms is an important clue to diagnose compartment syndrome. In cases of ambiguous diagnosis, unconscious patients and children additionally need a intracompartmental pressure measuring. Immediate fasciotomy should be performed when clinical signs are obvious or when delta pressure is less than 30 mmHg or intracompartmental pressure is greater than 30 mmHg. Fasciotomy of the lower leg can be performed either by one lateral single incision or double incision, which of the foot mainly has a dorsal or medial incision. A delayed in diagnosis that leads to a delay in treatment can result in devastating disability. Acute compartment syndrome of the lower leg and foot is a relative rare but serious complication of which a surgeon should be aware.
Child ; Compartment Syndromes ; Emergencies ; Foot ; Humans ; Leg ; Unconscious (Psychology)

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Morbidity associated with these fractures includes pain and decreased physical function, which have a significant impact on the quality of life. The detection of osteoporotic vertebral fracture is based mainly on the identification of vertebral collapse, but this can be misleading in the presence of a fracture without radiologic collapse. And the diagnosis of vertebral fractures in simple radiographs is difficult because of normal variants and degenerative change of vertebrae. We review the various methods for evaluating osteoporotic vertebral fractures based on simple radiography or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The preferred method may be Genant's semiquantitative method which was developed in an attempt to reduce subjectivity associated with visual diagnosis of osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Recently, vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) by DXA can be used to detect vertebral fractures in asymptomatic patients undergoing routine BMD measurements. Yoshida's classification is useful alternative method in the incidental vertebral fracture diagnosis with a morphological change in the anterior bone cortex.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Methods ; Mortality ; Osteoporosis ; Quality of Life ; Radiography ; Spinal Fractures ; Spine

Insufficiency fracture is a type of stress fracture, which is the result of normal stresses on abnormal bone. Postmenopausal osteoporosis is the most common cause of insufficiency fractures. An early diagnosis is best made with a bone scan or magnetic resonance imaging, as radiographs may initially appear normal. Insufficiency fractures of the lower leg and ankle are less common. Furthermore, reports of medial malleolar insufficiency fracture without any history of trauma in elderly patients are extremely rare. Thus, we report a case with a medial malleolar insufficiency fracture of the ankle in an elderly patient with osteoporosis. This case shows that we should be aware of the possibility of encountering an uncommon medial malleolar insufficiency fracture as a cause of pain in the ankle region of an elderly patient with osteoporosis.
Ankle* ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Fractures, Stress* ; History ; Humans ; Leg ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Osteoporosis* ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; Wounds and Injuries

Ankle fracture and Achilles tendon rupture are common as an isolated injury. However, Achilles tendon rupture with ipsilateral ankle fracture is uncommon, and occurs by a different injury mechanism with a risk of negligence. We report a case of Achilles tendon rupture with ipsilateral medial malleolar fracture.
Achilles Tendon ; Animals ; Ankle ; Malpractice ; Rupture

A 24-year-old man with tuberculosis meningitis developed acute paraplegia and sensory disturbances 5 weeks after receiving conventional antituberculous therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural extramedullary long segmental mass mimicking en plaque meningioma at the T2-T6 vertebrae levels. Prompt surgical decompression was performed. A histology examination of the mass revealed a tuberculoma. After surgery, the patient showed improved motor power and a normal bladder function. Intradural extramedullary tuberculoma of the spinal cord is rare complication of tuberculosis meningitis, which can occur as a response to conventional antituberculous therapy.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Male ; Meningeal Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; Meningioma/*diagnosis ; Spinal Cord Diseases/*diagnosis/surgery ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; Tuberculoma/*diagnosis/surgery ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal/*diagnosis/surgery ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the clinical and radiological results of minimally invasive percutaneous screw fixation in intra-articular calcaneal fractures and its complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is based on 30 intra-articular calcaneal fractures that treated by index operation from June 2005 to November 2006 with at least 6 months follow-up. We assessed the clinical and radiological outcomes and complications. RESULTS: According to Sanders classification, there were 8 in type IIA, 7 in type IIB, 3 in type IIIAB, 6 in type IIIBC, 6 in type IV. And according to Essex-Lopresti classification, there were 9 in the tongue type, 21 in the joint depression type. Average follow-up period was 14.6 months (range: 6-23 months). Average interval between from injury to operation was 2.3 days. Average AOFAS score was 87.7 (range: 52-92). Satisfactory results were obtained in 22 cases (73.3%) by AOFAS score and in 20 cases (66.7%) by VAS score (mean: 3.4). Radiological results improved from 8.7 to 20.3 degrees in the Bohler angle and from 40.2 mm to 52.1 mm in calcaneal height. Postoperative complications were 2 skin and soft tissue problems and 1 sural neuropathy. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive percutaneous screw fixation may be useful alternative surgical method in the management of Sanders type II and III calcaneal fractures, which is possible to achieves the anatomical restoration and minimizes postoperative complication in patients with high risks of soft tissue compromise and allows relatively early operation.
Depression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Joints ; Organic Chemicals ; Postoperative Complications ; Skin ; Tongue