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BACKGROUND:The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting postoperative mortality in patients older than 65 years of age undergoing surgery for hip fracture.

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to assess the impact of uniform anti-rotational proximal femoral intramedullary nail (APFN) use on patient mobility status with the treatment of two different unstable intertrochanteric femur fracture groups of geriatric patients.MethodsThe study included patients aged > 65 years who underwent surgery with APFN. Group 1 comprised AO classification, AO/OTA 31-A22, and A23 patients, and group 2, A31 and A32 patients. The demographic data of the patients, postoperative complications, follow-up, mortality status, postoperative reduction, tip-apex distance (TAD), and the Parker-Palmer mobility (PPM) score were evaluated.ResultsThere were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of gender, affected side, time from trauma to surgery, ASA score, anesthesia type, duration of hospitalization, duration of surgery, TAD values, reduction values, or mortality rate. The average age of patients in group 2 was significantly higher than that of patients in group 1 (p < 0.05). The mobility scores of group 1 patients were significantly higher than those of group 2 (p < 0.05).ConclusionsWhile no relationship was found between the TAD values and the reduction status of the cases, the PPM scores of the AO 31 A3 cases were determined to be significantly worse. Therefore, fractures with a preoperative classification of AO type 31 A3 can be expected to have worse results than A2 ITF fractures. The fracture type seems to have as great an effect as other factors on the postoperative mobility score.

BackgroundBiologic treatment options for cartilage injuries require chondrocyte expansion using cell culture. Clinical application is accomplished in two surgical sessions and is expensive. If isolation of chondrocytes and stimulus for proliferation and extracellular matrix synthesis can be achieved in vivo, the treatment can be performed in one session and the cost can be reduced.MethodsA 2.5-cm diameter full-thickness chondral defect was created in the knees of five groups of sheep. In one group, some of the chondral tissues obtained from the creation of the defect were diced into small pieces and were placed into the defect and were covered with a collagen membrane (MIV group). In the other group, the collagen membrane was soaked in collagenase prior to usage. In the next group, the collagen membrane was soaked in both collagenase and growth factors. Matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) was applied to another group in two sessions, and the last group was left untreated. After 15 weeks of follow-up, repair tissues were compared macroscopically, histomorphometrically, and biochemically for tissue concentrations of glycosaminoglycan and type II collagen.ResultsMACI and MIV groups demonstrated better healing than others and were similar. Addition of collagenase or growth factors did not improve the results. Addition of collagenase did not have detrimental effect on the surrounding cartilage.ConclusionsWith the described method, it is possible to obtain comparable results with MACI. Further studies are also needed to see if it works similarly in humans.

In the Graf method of hip ultrasonography, the diagnosis of the infantile hip with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is strictly dependent on the bony roof (alpha angle) and the cartilage roof (beta angle) measurements. In this study, we investigated whether the infant hip could be diagnosed with DDH solely by evaluating ultrasound images obtained in the standard plane, without bony roof and cartilage roof measurements, in respect to different professional experience levels. Two hundred ten hip ultrasounds were randomly selected from patients who presented to our hospital for DDH screening. A total of 6 ultrasound images were obtained for each hip. The hip morphology evaluations were made without the bony roof and the cartilage roof measurements by 2 orthopedic surgery residents; 2 orthopedic surgery specialists, trained in the diagnosis and the treatment of the DDH; and 2 pediatric orthopedic surgery professors, highly experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of DDH. After hip morphology evaluations, the bony roof and the cartilage roof measurements were obtained and hip type evaluations were made by the same raters, according to the Graf method of hip ultrasonography. The highest intraobserver agreements between the hip maturity evaluation before and the hip type evaluation after measurements were .676 ( P < .001) and .577 ( P < .001) in professors 2 and 1, respectively, and the lowest agreements were .185 ( P < .01) and .289 ( P < .001) in specialist 1 and resident 2, respectively. The diagnosis of the infant hip as DDH could not be made solely by evaluation of the ultrasound images obtained in the standard plane without the bony roof and the cartilage roof measurements. The bony roof and the cartilage roof measurements were obligatory for the diagnosis of the infant hip as DDH, even in the very experienced pediatric orthopedic surgeons. Level of evidence: 2.

Introduction The aim of this study was to determine the differences and consistencies in the morphological and angular interpretations of standard USG images. Therefore, it was aimed to show the correlations of orthopaedic doctors with different periods of experience in hip ultrasound measurements taken with the Graf method. Materials and methods The study included 210 infants randomly selected from those who presented at our hospital for DDH screening. A total of 6 ultrasound images were taken for each hip. These images were evaluated by  two paediatric orthopaedic professors, two orthopaedic specialists and two orthopaedic residents. The correlations of these measurements between all the doctors were evaluated statistically. Results In beta angle evaluation, agreement between all the evaluators was at the level of 0.054. No agreement was seen between the two residents or between the two specialists ( p = 0.003, p = 0.998, p = 0.998, respectively). Agreement between the two professors was determined at the level of 0.508 ( p < 0.001). Agreement was determined at the level of 0.066 between the specialists and the residents. No agreement was observed between the specialists and the professors or between the professors and the residents ( p = 0.014, p = 0.098, p = 0.737, respectively). Conclusions It can be concluded that greater emphasis on the beta angle, the cartilage labrum, and more detailed explanations of this subject in the resident training program will achieve standardisation on this subject, and this is in direct proportion to clinical experience. Level of evidence IV

S houlder pain is described as the second most common musculoskeletal system disorder following lower back pain. Rotator cuff pathology and subacromial impingement are accepted as the leading causes of shoulder pain. [1] Rotator cuff pathologies include partial or full thickness rotator cuff tears, subacromial bursitis, or rotator cuff tendinitis. Subacromial impingement syndrome has been ac-cepted for many years as the most common reason for rotator cuff pathology. In 1949, Armstrong [2] first suggested that the impingement of bursa and rotator cuff tendons below the acromion caused supraspinatus syndrome. Neer later reported that 95% of rotator cuff tears were due to mechanical impingement and treatment was successful with partial anterior acromioplasty. [3,4] Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of subacromial decompression on the results of full thickness rotator cuff repair applied arthroscopically. Examination was also made of the effect of acromion type on the subacromial decompression procedure in patients applied with arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Methods: The study included a total of 150 patients, comprising 102 (68%) females and 48 (32%) males with a full thickness rotator cuff tear repaired arthroscopically. The patients were separated into three groups of 50. Group A comprised those with acromioplasty and bursectomy applied additional to the repair. In Group B, only bursectomy was performed additional to the repair and in Group C, only rotator cuff repair was applied. Evaluation was made of the post-operative long-term pain and functional results. Results:The mean age of the cases was 65.63±9.22 years (range, 46-86 years). The affected side was right side in 95 (63.3%) cases and left side in 55 (36.7%). No statistically significant difference was determined between the groups according to the post-operative Constant Murley and ASES scores (p>0.05). In the paired comparisons, the post-operative VAS scores of Group C were higher than those of Groups A and B (p=0.018, p=0.029, p<0.05). No statistically significant difference was determined between Group A and Group B in respect of the post-operative VAS scores (p>0.05). Conclusion:In the arthroscopic repair of full thickness rotator cuff tears, neither acromioplasty, coracoacromial ligament loosening nor bursectomy were determined to have any positive effect on the results. Whatever the acromion type, there is no need for an additional subacromial decompression procedure after rotator cuff repair, in respect of pain and functional outcomes. Only acromial spurs should be gently removed paying attention to the coraco-acromial ligament.

Background: In this study, we assessed functional outcomes among olecranon fixation techniques used following transolecranon approach in patients with comminuted fracture of distal humerus. Methods: The study included 37 elbows that underwent olecranon osteotomy due to distal humerus fracture. Functional outcomes were assessed among patients who underwent fixation via tension band technique, plate, or screw fixation. Results: The implant irritation was seen in 18% of patients who underwent K-wire plus tension band fixation, in 75% of patients who underwent olecranon plate plus screw fixation, and in 18% of patients who underwent cancellous screw fixation. The rate for implant removal was 2.6 folds lower in K-wire plus tension band fixation when compared to olecranon plate plus screw fixation. Conclusion: We concluded that K-wire plus tension band technique and cancellous screw fixation performed in accordance with technical principles caused less skin problem when compared to other techniques. In olecranon fixation, both methods with enhanced stability by tension band can be preferred.