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Osteochondral lesions of the talus may be treated with different autologous biological approaches. These include platelet-rich plasma, stem cells or MACI and ACI. MACI implants are used to cover cartilage lining defects in the ankle. A total of 18 patients were treated with MACI implants. NMR images were taken before and after the procedure. T2 mapping was used to quantify the changes in cartilage collagen after a 6 12-month postoperative period. Increase in collagen was recorded on all patients. Both open and arthroscopic procedures were performed depending on the technical difficulties encountered during the repair.

AimsThis is a prospective randomised study which compares the radiological and functional outcomes of ring and rail fixators in patients with an infected gap (> 3 cm) nonunion of the tibia.Patients and MethodsBetween May 2008 and February 2013, 70 patients were treated at our Institute for a posttraumatic osseocutaneous defect of the tibia measuring at least 3 cm. These were randomised into two groups of 35 patients using the lottery method. Group I patients were treated with a ring fixator and group II patients with a rail fixator. The mean age was 33.2 years (18 to 64) in group I and 29.3 years (18 to 65) in group II. The mean bone gap was 5.84 cm in group I and 5.78 cm in group II.The mean followup was 33.8 months in group I and 32.6 months in group II. Bone and functional results were assessed using the classification of the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov (ASAMI). Functional results were also assessed at six months using the short musculoskeletal functional assessment (SMFA) score.ResultsThe bone result was excellent, good, fair and poor in 21, 12, 0 and 2 in group I; and 14, 15, 3, and 3 in group II, respectively. The functional results were excellent, good, fair, poor and failure in 16, 17, 1, 0 and 1 in group I; and 22, 10, 0, 3 and 0 in group II, respectively. Both fixator systems achieved comparable rates of union and functional outcomes. The rate of deep pintract infection was significantly higher in the rail fixator group but patients found it more comfortable.ConclusionWe recommend the use of a ring fixator in patients with a bone gap of more than 6 cm. Patients with a bone gap up to 6 cm can be managed with either a ring or rail fixator.Cite this article: Bone Joint J2016;98B:1399–1405.

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a common cause of hip joint dysfunction and pain in adults aged between 30–60 years. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the short term clinical outcome of hip arthroscopy in patients diagnosed with FAI. A total of 105 patients were studied. This minimal invasive technique has shown to be highly effective in comparison to open surgery in young patients.