The lateral modified approach provides good conditions for placement of the interscalene catheter. Anesthesia and analgesia performed through the catheter are efficient. The rates of infection and neurologic complications are low, and patient satisfaction is high.

PURPOSE: To analyze the feasibility of combining computer-assisted 3-dimensional planning with patient-specific drill guides and to evaluate this technology's surgical outcomes for distal radius intra-articular malunions. METHODS: Six symptomatic patients with intra-articular malunions of the distal radius with a stepoff of more than 2 mm were treated with an outside-in corrective osteotomy. The described cases consist of 2 malunited volar Barton fractures, 2 radial styloid fractures, 1 AOtype C1 fracture, and 1 die-punch fracture. The osteotomies were guided by 3-dimensionally generated aiming guides that allowed precise cutting and the reduction of up to 2 fragments. All 6 patients were examined clinically and radiologically after 1 year. The surgical outcomes were quantitatively analyzed by comparing the preoperative and postoperative computed tomographic data. RESULTS: In all 6 cases, the osteotomies were consolidated 8 weeks postoperatively. After 1 year, 4 patients were pain-free, 1 had mild pain, and 1 experienced moderate pain during heavy work. Wrist motion and grip strength were improved in all patients. The postoperative radiographs showed no articular stepoff or degenerative changes. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-specific aiming guides provided a reliable method to correct intraarticular malunions of the distal radius. This technique allows the surgeon to safely perform difficult intra-articular osteotomies and may help limit the need for salvage procedures such as partial or complete wrist arthrodesis. To analyze the feasibility of combining computer-assisted 3-dimensional planning with patient-7 specific drill guides and to evaluate its surgical outcomes for distal radius intra-articular malunions. 8 9 Methods: 10Six symptomatic patients with intra-articular malunions of the distal radius with a step-off of more 11 than 2 mm were treated with an outside-in corrective osteotomy. The described cases consist of 2 12 malunited volar Barton fractures, 2 radial styloid fractures, one AO-type C1 fracture, and 1 die-punch 13 fracture. The osteotomies were guided by 3-dimensionally generated aiming guides that allowed 14 precise cutting and the reduction of up to 2 fragments. All 6 patients were examined clinically and 15 radiologically after 1 year. The surgical outcomes were quantitatively analyzed by comparing the pre-16 and postoperative computed tomographic data. 17 18 Results: 19In all 6 cases, the osteotomies were consolidated 8 weeks postoperatively. After 1 year, 4 patients 20 were pain-free, one had mild pain, and one experienced moderate pain during heavy work. Wrist 21 motion and grip strength were improved in all patients. The postoperative radiographs showed no 22 articular step-off or degenerative changes. 23 24 Discussion: 25Patient-specific aiming guides provided a reliable method to correct intra-articular malunions of the 26 distal radius. This technique allows the surgeon to safely perform difficult intra-articular osteotomies 27 and may help limit the need for salvage procedures such a...

Fifteen patients with radioscapholunate (RSL) fusion for traumatic lesions of the radiocarpal junction, whose short-term results have been previously reported, were reassessed after an average follow-up time of 8 years. Five patients had undergone wrist fusion because of non-union or early progressive arthritis. Of the ten wrists with retained mobility, eight continued to function satisfactorily. Two wrists were painful for reasons other than secondary midcarpal arthritis. Patient satisfaction was comparable in both groups with the wrist score better for wrists with residual motion. The survival of RSL partial wrist fusion corresponded inversely with the number of preceding operations and the range of motion before partial fusion. Secondary midcarpal arthritis, if present, arose early and was well tolerated. Failures were strongly linked to technical mistakes and complications.

Congenital or posttraumatic bone deformity may lead to reduced range of motion, joint instability, pain, and osteoarthritis. The conventional joint-preserving therapy for such deformities is corrective osteotomy-the anatomical reduction or realignment of bones with fixation. In this procedure, the bone is cut and its fragments are correctly realigned and stabilized with an implant to secure their position during bone healing. Corrective osteotomy is an elective procedure scheduled in advance, providing sufficient time for careful diagnosis and operation planning. Accordingly, computer-based methods have become very popular for its preoperative planning. These methods can improve precision not only by enabling the surgeon to quantify deformities and to simulate the intervention preoperatively in three dimensions, but also by generating a surgical plan of the required correction. However, generation of complex surgical plans is still a major challenge, requiring sophisticated techniques and profound clinical expertise. In addition to preoperative planning, computer-based approaches can also be used to support surgeons during the course of interventions. In particular, since recent advances in additive manufacturing technology have enabled cost-effective production of patient-and intervention-specific osteotomy instruments, customized interventions can thus be planned for and performed using such instruments. In this chapter, state of the art and future perspectives of computer-assisted deformity-correction surgery of the upper and lower extremities are presented. We elaborate on the benefits and pitfalls of different approaches based on our own experience in treating over 150 patients with three-dimensional preoperative planning and patient-specific instrumentation.

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Diaphyseal

In spite of early mobilization, stiffness is the most frequent complication after open reduction and plate fixation of phalangeal fractures. The undue amount of scarring and adhesion may arise from the implant itself or the difficulty in finding the perfect mixture between the minimal surgical invasiveness and a sufficient restoration of skeletal stability. Otherwise, plate fixation of unstable and complex phalangeal fractures proved efficient and reliable, although not free of potential problems.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for chronic wrist pain is challenging. Correct assessment of the triangular fibrocartilage, hyaline cartilage, ligaments, and tendons has become mandatory for comprehensive decision making in wrist surgery. The MR technique, potential and limits of MR imaging in patients with chronic wrist pain will be discussed. MR arthrography with injection of gadolinium-containing contrast material into the distal radioulnar joint is suggested for evaluation of the triangular fibrocartilage. The clinically meaningful ulnar-sided peripheral tears are otherwise hard to diagnose. The diagnostic performance of MR imaging for interosseous ligament tears varies considerably. The sensitivity for scapholunate ligament tears is consistently better than for lunotriquetral ligament tears. Gadoliniumenhanced MR imaging is considered to be the best technique for detecting established avascularity of bone, but the assessment of the MR results remains challenging. Most cases of ulnar impaction syndrome have characteristic focal signal intensity changes in the ulnar aspect of the lunate. Avascular necrosis of the lunate (Kienböck's disease) is characterized by signal changes starting in the proximal radial aspect of the lunate. MR imaging is extremely sensitive for occult fractures. Questions arise if occult posttraumatic bone lesions seen on MR images only necessarily require the same treatment as fractures evident on plain films or computed tomography (CT) images. MR imaging and ultrasound are equally effective for detecting occult carpal ganglia. Carpe bossu (carpal boss) is a bony protuberance of a carpometacarpal joint II and III which may be associated with pain.