No abstract

Between 1987 and 1999 we diagnosed and treated 110 patients with osteoid osteoma. Sixty patients were younger than 20 years. One hundred and four patients had characteristic pain at night. The mean duration of symptoms before surgery was 16 months. One hundred and four symptomatic patients were treated operatively with either wide resection or curettage. Ninety-one patients had immediate and complete relief of pain. The average follow-up was 2.5 years.Résumé Entre 1987 et 1999 nous avons traités 110 malades souffrant d'un ostéome osteoide. 60 malades étaient âgés de moins de 20 ans. 104 malades avaient la douleur nocturne caractéristique. La durée moyenne de symptô-mes avant la chirurgie était de 16 mois. 104 malades symptomatiques ont été opérés avec résection large ou curetage. 91 malades ont eu un soulagement immédiat et complet des douleurs. La moyenne de suivi était de 2.5 années.

H ydatid disease of bone is rare. It probably represents between 0.5% and 4% of all human hydatid disease and, in about 60% of patients, affects the spine or pelvis. Between 1986 and 1998, we treated 15 cases of bone hydatidosis. Curettage, swabbing with povidone iodine and filling the defect with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) were carried out in ten patients. Three of these had a recurrence after five years, but seven had no signs of relapse during a mean follow-up of 52 months. We believe that the combination of antihelminthic therapy, wide resection and the use of PMMA gives the best outcome in the treatment of bone hydatidosis.

Our findings show that although the radiation exposure during orthopaedic operations is below the recommendations of the European Committee on Radiation Protection, there is a higher risk of exposure for the assistant surgeon. It has to be kept in mind that there could be morphological and functional damage in cells exposed to radiation. Therefore, we should continue to use appropriate shielding precautions in view of the unknown long-term risks.

Knee function seems to have similar clinical results after either antegrade or retrograde nail insertion for femoral diaphyseal fractures when knee range of motion, Lysholm Scores, and isokinetic knee evaluation are considered as outcome measures. With increasing patient age, a decrease in knee functioning should be anticipated in patients with femoral fractures treated with intramedullary nails regardless of technique.