The proximal femur nail antirotation represents a new generation of intramedullary nailing devices for fixation of stable and unstable trochanteric fractures of the proximal femur. We report 3 cases of postoperative perforation of the helical blade through the femoral head into the hip joint without any signs of rotational or varus displacement of the fracture.

The system is a versatile implant for proximal tibia fracture treatment. Polyaxiality and a specific locking mechanism are compatible with different fracture patterns. The minimally invasive technique effectively protects soft tissues but should not be performed at the expense of fracture reduction. Early functional results and complication rate are comparable to those in the literature.

The incidence of trochanteric fractures is increasing in Europe, and the economic impact and mortality is high. The aim of the study was to evaluate the PFNA® (proximal femoral nail antirotation) with respect to its clinical use and mechanical complications.All patients with a trochanteric fracture who had been treated with a PFNA® between 12/2004 and 12/2007 were identified and analysed regarding complications and radiological findings. The study included 195 patients; 61.2% of the patients were classified as Singh I und II. The mean duration of surgery was 57 min. In ten cases (5.1%) the blade migrated, four cases (2.1%) showed blade cut out and in one case the nail broke (0.5%). The mean TAD was 26.7 mm, in cases of cut out 41.3 mm and in blade migrations 38.6 mm. No failure could be documented when the TAD was less then 30 mm. There is a strong relationship between increasing TAD and mechanical failure (P<0.001); 84.6% of the patients have been followed up, and 30.2% died in the follow-up period.The PFNA® is an easy-to-use implant for the treatment of stable and instable proximal femur fractures. Mechanical failure depends on the TAD.

No abstract

The ButtonFix(®) system represents a valuable tool in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures with results indicating fewer complications compared to prior percutaneous fixation devices. Moreover, the ButtonFix(®) seems to be able to maintain reduction even in elderly patients with potentially reduced bone mass.

In spite of the double worst-case scenario in the testing conditions, the CB anchors provided a high fixation strength in the trabecular bone of porcine tibial head specimens with the CB4 anchors and CB5 anchors being nearly equal and both being superior to the CB3 anchors. Bone mineral density had a strong influence on the axial pull-out force. Our results show that the CB anchors seem to be a reasonable alternative to metal and bioabsorbable suture anchors.

No abstract

Introduction Periprosthetic joint infections are a major challenge for treating physicians. Musculoskeletal infections with Mycobacterium bovis are extremely rare, with an assumed incidence of 0.08–0.1%. Consequently, periprosthetic joint infections with Mycobacterium bovis are even less frequent. Fungal periprosthetic joint infections are very rare. No cases of Candida guilliermondii infection of implanted prostheses are described in the literature. Case presentation An 87-year-old Swiss man with German ethnic origin suffered from symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. We present the first described case of periprosthetic joint infection after total knee arthroplasty by both Mycobacterium bovis and Candida guilliermondii in the context of a zoonosis with 14 months of follow-up. The infection was presumed to originate more than 55 years earlier, when these infectious agents were still present in cattle in Switzerland. After diagnosis of the pathogens, our patient was successfully treated with tuberculostatic and mycocide medication, and a two-stage revision knee arthroplasty was performed. The medication was given for 1 year . The postoperative course was normal and he achieved ambulant musculoskeletal rehabilitation. After 14 months of follow-up no further complication emerged. At all routine consultations, there were no indications for joint inflammation, wound healing was normal, and the range of motion was flexion/extension 110/0/0°. Conclusions We found no comparable cases in our literature search. Only a few joint infections by Mycobacterium bovis after intravesical instillation of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin are described. Primary infections without previous Bacillus Calmette–Guérin injection appear to be even less frequent. In cases where mycobacterial infection cannot be ruled out, we recommend cultivating mycobacteria cultures for weeks. In addition, a histological examination of the tissue should be carried out. After diagnosis, the concept of a two-stage reimplantation of total knee arthroplasty with mycostatic therapy for 1 year and antimycotic therapy appears to be effective .