Despite the eradication of smallpox from the world in 1980 the osteo-articular sequelae of smallpox are still occasionally noticed in previously endemic areas. The sequelae of osteomyelitis variolosa may raise a diagnostic challenge to the untrained eyes of the surgeon. We present a case of “osteomyelitis variolosa” in a 70 years old patient. The patient had bilateral dislocation of the elbow joint with multidirectional instability. There was distortion of the articular surfaces and ankylosis of the bilateral proximal radio-ulnar joint. Hypoplasia of the right ulna with short fourth and fifth metacarpals of the left hand and hypoplasia of right fourth metacarpal with cortical thickening was noted radiologically. The patient had minimal disability of his elbows despite the striking radiological abnormality and was functionally independent.

Introduction: Palmaris longus and flexor digitorum superficialis of the little finger are highly variable anatomically. The tendons vary in different parts of the globe and different regions of the same country. Many studies have negated an association between the tendons. However, most of the studies have a sample size of less than 500 subjects. Aims and objectives: The aim was to study the tendons in the Indian population and study the association, if any between the tendons and to test functional significance of the tendons using the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. Methods and material: It was a single centre cross-sectional study with a sample size of 1500 in the age group of 20–60 years. The subjects were tested for the presence of the tendons and their functionality was assessed by Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. The data was tabulated and was assessed using SPSS 13.0 software. Results: Palmaris longus was bilaterally absent in 10.9% and flexor digitorum superficialis of the little finger was bilaterally absent in 42% of the cases. There was a statistically significant association between the tendons when considered bilaterally. The tendons did not have any bearing on the functionality as assessed by the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. Conclusions: There is significant variability in the palmaris longus and flexor digitorum superficialis tendon to the little finger not only in the different countries but in different regions of the same country. However despite the various clinical and medicolegal aspects concerning both the tendons, they do not have much bearing on the functionality of the hand.

PCA and the WL are comparable in establishing the rotational alignment of the femoral component with respect to the surgical transepicondylar axis. A fixed, 3° external rotation with respect to the PCA is an oversimplification and rotational alignment of the knees should be individualised.

Equalizing limb length is of paramount importance for optimal outcome in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty(HA). Numerous techniques have been described for avoiding limb length discrepancy (LLD) in patients undergoing HA. However their applicability in patients undergoing HA for neck of femur(NOF) fractures remains questionable due to dissociation between the femur and the head. I hereby describe a novel yet simple technique for better utilization of already established techniques to avoid LLD in NOF fractures undergoing HA. After exposure of hip, the proximal head and neck fragment is extracted taking care not to damage bone at fracture site. Proximal fragment is provisionally fixed to distal fragment in a retrograde manner using 6.5 mm cannulated screws after predrilling over guide wires. Horizontal and vertical offsets are measured. The hip joint is reduced and a mark is made on greater trochanter (GT) utilizing the co-axial stitch method. The joint is dislocated & screws removed.THR is done in a routine manner taking care to establish and recreate native anatomy of hip. Limb length is ascertained utilizing the previous mark on GT. Recreation of proximal femoral anatomy helps in better utilization of already established techniques to avoid LLD and helps us to re-create the native anatomy in HA. It is simple, less time consuming and doesn't require extensive armamentarium or image guidance for its applicability. However it needs to be validated and its advantages might be undermined in old NOF fractures with resorption of the neck or in severely communited fractures.

No abstract