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Radial head replacement or ORIF are established treatment options for Mason type-III and type-IV fractures. The aim of this study was to provide results for reconstruction of these complex fractures using fine-threaded K-wires. We present results after reconstruction of 15 Mason type-III and 8 Mason type-IV fractures. Parameters used to describe the functional outcome were pain level, range of motion, and clinical scores. To estimate the elbow stability we performed ultrasound examinations under valgus/varus stress. All radial heads could be reconstructed. The average resting pain level was 0.9 of 10. The average ROM for extension/flexion was 134°, average forearm rotation was 159°. For the whole patient collective the mean MEPS was 86.5 points and the mean QuickDASH was 16.8 points with no significant difference for both groups. We can recommend ORIF with fine-threaded K-wires for Mason type-III and type-IV fractures of the radial head. Ligamentous injuries can be addressed successfully with external fixation.

Treatment options for displaced distal radial fractures are still a controversial topic of discussion. Although good results for the palmar plating of high-volume centers have been published, evidence of its successful use in smaller institutions is still lacking. We report the clinical and radiological results of the treatment for 84 distal radial fractures with a single 2.4-mm T-miniplate in an institution performing

Background: The combination of chemotherapy with the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antibody bevacizumab is a standard of care in advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). However, biomarkers predicting outcome of bevacizumab-containing treatment are lacking. As angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is a key regulator of vascular remodelling in concert with VEGF, we investigated its role as a biomarker in metastatic CRC. Methods: Serum Ang-2 levels were measured in 33 healthy volunteers and 90 patients with CRC. Of these, 34 had metastatic disease and received bevacizumab-containing therapy. To determine the tissue of origin of Ang-2, quantitative real-time PCR was performed on microdissected cryosections of human CRC and in a murine xenograft model of CRC using species-specific amplification. Results: Ang-2 originated from the stromal compartment of CRC tissues. Serum Ang-2 levels were significantly elevated in patients with metastatic CRC compared with healthy controls. Amongst patients receiving bevacizumab-containing treatment, low pre-therapeutic serum Ang-2 levels were associated with a significant better response rate (82 vs 31% P

Closed and open dislocations of the knee joint with vascular and nerve injuries are treated immediately and may present an indication for external fixation. In acute trauma definitive treatment and reconstruction of the complex capsule and ligamentous injuries are often impossible. The application of a medial transarticular external fixator with motion capacity combines the treatment of remaining joint instability with the benefit of early joint movement. Disadvantages of prolonged joint immobilisation until definitive stabilisation of the knee are reduced.

Exact anatomical description of the proximal radius is imperative for the development of radial head prostheses. The purpose of this study was to measure the anatomical parameters of the radial head.Optosil imprints of 18 pairs of proximal radii fixed with formalin were taken. All possessed their native cartilage joint surface free of any arthritic defects. After being cut into 3 mm slices, the diameter of each slice was measured in steps of 30 degrees of rotation with the margo interosseous acting as a reference point.Maximum radial head diameter was seen from the 0 to the 9 mm slice at a rotation of 30 degrees to full supination perpendicular to the proximal radioulnar joint. The diameter increased from the radiocapitular joint surface to the 6 mm slice, and then it decreased (P0.001). At the level of 6 mm the maximum radial head diameter was 24.13 mm (range 21.2-27.3 mm). The minimum diameter was seen perpendicular to the maximum; it also increased from the radiocapitular joint surface to the 6 mm slice and then decreased. There was a significant difference between the minimum and maximum diameter of each slice at a P-level of P0.001. Left and right sides were not significantly different at a P-level of 0.01.Our data show that the radial head is neither round nor conical. It has a complex shape with an increasing size from the radiocapitular joint surface to the middle of the proximal radioulnar joint surface. No statistically significant differences could be observed between right and left radii.

The authors report a large duodenal somatostatinoma, a very rare tumor entity. A 8.5 cm globular mass in the area of the unicate process of the pancreas was detected in a 45 year old caucasian female by computerized tomography. The patient had only mild complaints. Initial treatment consisted of right pancreatectomy with preservation of the pylorus. Histological evaluation rendered a diagnosis of low-grade malignant neuroendocrine carcinoma with expression of somatostatin, respectively of somatostatinoma arising in the duodenum and infiltrating into the pancreas. 26 months after the initial surgery liver and lymph node metastases were detected and surgically removed. This case confirms that duodenal somatostatinomas are very difficult to diagnose preoperatively because of unspecific symptoms. Most duodenal somatostatinomas are found incidentally. Treatment of choice is radical surgical resection with a possible cure in early stages of the disease. Even a large tumor as ours is resectable with negative surgical margins. Management of recurrent or metastatic disease is also surgical. Additional chemotherapy and supportive care may be beneficial for the patient.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate functional ultrasound as a tool for detecting an ulnar collateral ligament injury of the thumb. The feasability of using ultrasound for imaging the thumb joint space was tested in a pilot study, using ultrasound and dissection in 14 cadaveric hand specimens. To test this method clinically, both metacarpophalangeal joints of the thumb in 461 healthy volunteers were examined using ultrasound (11 MHz) under radial stress. The distance between the innominate tubercle of the first metacarpal head to the proximal phalanx was measured. The mean distance between the first metacarpal head and the proximal phalanx (n = 461) was 4.5 mm (standard deviation, 0.65 mm) on the right side and 4.6 mm (standard deviation, 0.61 mm) on the left side. These data were compared with data of 25 patients with an operative diagnosis of rupture of the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb. The difference in joint space between the injured and uninjured sides was 2.25 mm (standard deviation, 0.46 mm). The metacarpophalangeal joint space can be reproducibly detected on high-frequency ultrasound. An increased gap seen on ultrasound is indicative of a rupture of the ulnar collateral ligament of the thumb.

High perioperative complication rates in the 1980s led to preferred use of endoscopic therapy for surgical palliation of pancreatic cancer. This encouraged us to analyse our own patients retrospectively.In the period from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1998, 253 patients with an exocrine carcinoma of the pancreas were operated on at the St. Elisabeth Hospital Cologne-Hohenlind: 73 patients (28.9%) underwent curative resection (R0) while 180 patients (71.1%) had palliative operative treatment (R1/R2). Palliative resection was performed in 22 patients (8.7%). Intestinal bypass surgery was done in 113 patients (44.7%) as a gastrojejunostomy and in 16 patients (6.3%) as a duodenojejunostomy. A biliodigestive anastomosis was performed in 85 patients (33.6%). This procedure was combined with a gastroenterostomy in 78 patients (30.8%). In 18 patients (7.1%) no surgical palliation was possible and the operation finished as a diagnostic laparotomy.The overall mortality rate within the first 30 (60) days was 5.5% (12.7%). Patients whose carcinoma had been resected curatively had a 30 (60)-day mortality rate of 2.7% (4.1%), compared to a rate in palliatively treated patients (resection/bypass/probatoria) of 6.7% (16.1%). Patients with palliatively resected tumor had perioperative mortality of 4.5% (4.5%), whereas patients who did not undergo resection had 6.9% (17.7%). The survival rate for curatively resected patients after Kaplan-Meier extrapolation was 64.7% after 1 year and 31.2% and 26.2% after 3 and 5 years, with a median survival time of 552 days. Palliatively operated patients had a survival rate of 19.4%, 2.5% and 0% for 1, 3 and 5 years. Median survival time was 171 days in this situation. Compared to patients without resection (17.4% and 2.0%), patients with palliative resection had survival rates for 1 and 3 years of 40% und 5.9%. After 5 years none of these patients were alive.Our data show a high success of surgical palliation in pancreatic cancer in centers with a high frequency of pancreatic surgery. Patients that could not be cured (R1/R2), although undergoing extensive procedures, had better survival rates than patients treated with bypass surgery. Perioperative mortality rate was comparatively low. This justifies aggressive surgical management of pancreatic carcinoma.

We report a case of a 68-year-old patient with a history of chronic asbestos exposure and a lung tumour, highly suspicious for bronchial carcinoma. The patient underwent left lower lobectomy and histology showed the rare diagnosis of rounded atelectasis. Rounded atelectasis is an important differential diagnosis to bronchial carcinoma.