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In order to determine the prevalence and distribution of various parameters associated with scoliosis in school children in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria, a two-year prospective study was carried out. The study was carried out in selected secondary schools in Osogbo township, Osun state, Nigeria. A team consisting of one consultant orthopeadic surgeon, one consultant epidemiologist, community health consultant, two laboratory scientists and one clerk performed the school screening. Simple random sampling was used to select the study population. Informed consent was obtained from the school principals, the students, and the parents of the students. A total of 410 children 190(46.3%) males and 220(53.7%) females aged 9-14 years old were screened. Thirty (7.31%) children had signs of scoliosis but only five (1.21%) had radiological evidence of scoliosis. Prevalence of scoliosis in the study group was 1.2%. A sensitive test for detection of scoliosis was forward bending test. Thoracic curve was most common. Cost of screening was affordable. School screening is simple, and cost effective. This study found that scoliosis is not common in school children in Osogbo, Osun state, Nigeria and therefore does not pose as a major public health problem. However, all the children who had radiological evidence of scoliosis were not aware of this prior to the screening exercise. Early detection has implication for choice of management--an advantage of the screening programme.

Estraosseous origin, implantation, and multifocal origin are some of the peculiar behaviour of chondrosarcoma. A case is presented of osseous chondrosarcoma arising from multiple sites in the same patient to illustrate the problem involved in the treatment of such a case.

Although periosteal reaction in acute haematogenous osteomyelitis is known to occur and is well documented, massive periosteal reaction is rare. Two children with copious periosteal reaction around the shafts of the long bones are presented. This could be a manifestation of staphylococcal osteomyelitis as blood culture grew Staphylococcus aureus in one of the cases.

Two consecutive siblings, both males, presented with congenital curly little finger ('serpentine finger') caused by subluxations at the metacarpo-phalangeal and the proximal interphalangeal joints. Literature on this phenomenon is scant, and to the best of the authors' knowledge it is probably a new entity. A theory of the possible aetiology is presented.

Pure aneurysm of posterior tibial artery without an obvious cause is very rare and there are probably no cases reported in literature. A case is presented of a posterior tibial artery aneurysm that had remained silent for years. Despite the large size the only presenting symptom was a calf mass. The diagnosis unfortunately was only confirmed during exploration of the mass. The lesson which cannot be over emphasized is that probably all calf masses of obscure aetiology in patients over the age of 40, whether silent or not, big or small, ought to have a femoral arteriogram performed prior to surgery. The literature on this rare condition is also reviewed.

A case is presented of pathological fracture of the distal left femur in a 15-year-old boy with tuberculosis of the knee and involvement of the lower femur. Pathological fracture following tuberculosis of bone is exceedingly rare and prompts the report of this case.