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In open, intra-articular distal humerus fracture caused by gunshot injury, full functional recovery is difficult to obtain. Three basic treatment methods are available: minimal internal fixation, open reduction-internal fixation, and external fixation. In Gülhane Military Medical Academy Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, 19 of 20 cases of gunshot injuries were treated with circular external fixator between the January 1995 and December 2000. Nine (45%) cases were type III-A, eight (40%) were type III-B, and three (15%] were type III-C. Eight (40%) cases were brought to the hospital 6 to 8 hours after the injury and 12 (60%) were in late stage. An amputation was done in one case. Mean follow-up period was 34.3 (14-55) months. Union was achieved in all 19 of the cases, and circular external fixator was taken out in a mean period of 4.6 (3-7) months. In the early treatment group, three (42.9%) were good, three (42.9%) were moderate, and one (14.2%) was unsatisfactory. In the late treatment group, five (41.7%) were good, four (33.3) were moderate, and three (25%) were unsatisfactory. Circular external fixator can be preferred as a treatment alternative in selected cases of distal humerus intra-articular open communited fractures because it protects the soft tissue connections and blood circulation of bone fractured, permits early elbow movements, and allows the patient to return to daily life very early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of postural stability and lower extremity performance with core stability, knee laxity, and muscle strength in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction., Design: Twenty-eight anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed subjects were included in the study. Anterior knee laxity tests, isokinetic knee muscle strength tests, and core stability tests were performed. Single-limb postural stability was assessed in both eyes-open and eyes-closed positions on a static surface and an eyes-open condition on a foam surface. A single-legged hop test was performed to assess lower extremity performance. To detect differences between the operated and healthy leg, a Mann-Whitney U test was performed, and a correlation analysis was performed using the Spearman correlation coefficient., Results: Knee muscle strength and laxity were different between the operated and healthy legs (P < 0.05). Postural stability scores correlated with core stability tests (P < 0.05) in both the operated and healthy legs. In the operated leg, knee laxity and muscle strength correlated with the mediolateral sway index on a foam surface (P < 0.05). Knee flexor and extensor muscle strength correlated with the single-legged hop for both legs (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Decreased core stability, decreased knee muscle strength, and increased knee laxity correlated with single-limb postural stability. Better hop performance was demonstrated with better knee flexor and extensor muscle strength and was independent from core stability.

Objective: To evaluate rehabilitation results of electrostimulation especially on joint effusion, swelling and pain recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction., Design: A randomized controlled trial; the assessor was not blinded to the group allocation., Setting: Orthopaedics-traumatology and physical medicine-rehabilitation departments., Subjects: Twenty-nine consecutive patients underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction., Interventions: Both groups began the voluntary exercise protocol one day post-surgery. The intervention group (n = 15) also received 30 sessions electrostimulation treatment protocol started four days after the operation., Main Measures: Numerical bulge-dancing patella signs for effusion assessment; differences in circumferences of the mid-centre of the patella between operated and non-operated knees for swelling assessment. A self-report of average daily resting pain assessed by visual analogue scale; Intenational Knee Documentation Committee scoring system and Tegner Activity Scale for subjective response assessment., Results: Twenty-six subjects including 13 patients from the intervention group completed the study. Significantly less effusion and swelling were determined in the intervention group after seven days (1.8 ± 1.3 versus 2.4 ± 1.7 for effusion and 1.7 ± 1.2 versus 3.4 ± 1.5 for swelling) to 12 weeks (0.2 ± 0.7 versus 0.6 ± 0.8 for effusion and 0.2 ± 0.8 versus 0.8 ± 0.9 for swelling) postoperative (P < 0.05). Patients treated with electrostimulation had significantly lower pain scores from seven days up to 12 weeks after the operation (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Electrostimulation along with exercise therapy appears superior to exercise alone regarding knee effusion, swelling and pain recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Still, there is need for further clinical studies using a radiologic method to demonstrate this effect of electrostimulation.

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate effect of I/R injury on bone tissue and protective role of hyperbaric oxygen precondition (HBO-PC) and ozone precondition (O(3)-PC) on I/R injury by using biochemical analysis., Materials and Methods: Thirty-two rats were included in study. The animals were divided into four equal groups: sham operation, I/R, I/R+HBO and I/R+O(3). One session of 60 min, 3 ATA, 3-4 L/min, 100% oxygenation was defined as one dose of HBO. First dose of HBO was administrated 72 h before ischemia. Subsequent, one-dose of HBO administrated per 12 hours until ischemia time (total seven doses); 0.7 mg/kg ozone/oxygen mixture intraperitoneally was defined as one dose of ozone. First dose of O(3) was administered 72 h before ischemia (total four doses). I/R model was induced in anesthetized rats by unilateral (right) femoral artery clipping for 2 h followed by 22 h of reperfusion. The right tibia and were harvested. Tissue was assayed for levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)., Results: MDA and PCO levels were increased in I/R group. SOD activity was increased; GSH-Px activity was decreased in I/R group. MDA and PCO levels were decreased, SOD and GSH-Px activities were increased in both HBO+I/R and O(3)+I/R groups., Conclusion: It has been shown that levels of MDA and PCO in bone were increased followed by 2 h of ischemia and 22 h of reperfusion period. Ozone-PC and HBO-PC has protective effect against skeletal bone I/R injury by decreasing levels of MDA and PCO, increasing activities of SOD and GSH-Px in rats., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Comminuted fractures of the patella are traditionally treated by internal fixation. The modified tension-band technique is widely accepted for internal fixation. The management of comminuted fractures often requires additional K-wire and/or circlage material and wide surgical exposure. Therefore, symptoms and complications related to the stainless steel wire are not uncommon in these cases. We present a new alternative treatment technique for comminuted patellar fractures., Methods: Five comminuted patellar fractures of four patients were treated by circular external fixator (CEF) under arthroscopic control. The mean patient age was 32.5 (range 24-41) years and mean follow-up was 22 (range 20-28) months., Results: In four cases, union was completed by the sixth week; in the other case, union was completed by the eighth week. The frames were removed after union of the fracture was documented. When the CEF was removed, full knee range of motion was observed full in all patients, and the patients returned to their normal activities of living in a few days. The mean Lysholm score was 94 (range 85-100) after treatment., Conclusions: CEF application under arthroscopic control can help avoid some complications of the traditional treatment methods, particularly in comminuted fractures of the patella. The most important advantage of this technique is to allow active knee motion in the early postoperative period so patients can return to activity of daily living soon after the implant removal. In addition, arthroscopic examination of the knee joint provides an assessment of any other intra-articular lesions. This technique allows healing of the fracture with low morbidity.

Proprioceptive mechanisms appear to play a role in stabilizing the glenohumeral joint and may serve as a means for interplay between the static stabilizers and the dynamic muscle restraints. The aim of this study was to investigate proprioception of the joint in healthy and surgically repaired shoulders. Shoulder proprioception was measured in 44 subjects who were assigned to two experimental groups: group 1, healthy subjects (n = 24); and group 2, patients who have undergone surgical reconstruction (n = 20). Joint position sense was measured with a Cybex NORM isokinetic dynamometer. The results revealed no significant differences in proprioception between the dominant and nondominant shoulders in group 1. No significant mean differences were revealed between the surgical and contralateral shoulder in group 2 under any test condition. These results imply that arm dominance in healthy individuals does not influence the proprioceptive sensibility and that reconstructive surgery appears to restore some of these proprioception characteristics.