The aim of the study was to evaluate the reliability and durability of alumina-on-alumina ceramic in comparison to metal-on-highly cross-linked polyethylene (CoCr/HXLPE) bearing couples. This prospective randomised study involved 150 patients (157 hips). All patients (mean age: 54.7 years) obtained an identical fibre metal midcoat femoral stem and fibre metal-coated acetabular shell. In 78 patients (82 hips) we used alumina, while in 72 patients (75 hips) metal-polyethylene bearing couples were used. During a mean 50.4-month follow-up period (51 ± 8 alumina and 50 ± 8.9 metal-polyethylene) no statistically significant changes in clinical and radiographic parameters were noted between the two groups. There was no ceramic breakage and no need for revision surgery due to the ceramic liner. The alumina bearing couples proved to be as reliable as CoCr/HXLPE.

The accuracy of ultrasound examination is demonstrated by the high reliability of this method in the diagnosis of lateral meniscus lesions of the knee, and the evaluation performed in this study showed that ultrasound is a useful clinical tool for diagnosing knee pathology.

No abstract

Ultrasound examination is a more useful method in the detection of lesions of the medial meniscus of the knee as related to clinical tests used in their detection in this study.

"Minimaly-invasive" total joint arthroplasty have been widely introduced to the orthopaedic community several years ago. The concept has received a great attention and has been greeted variably with enthusiasm, concern, and skepticism. Numerous meetings, scientific exibits, symposia and congreses has been taking place all around the world. Whether this represents the future of orthopaedic surgery or just a fad, the term "minimaly-invasive" or "minimaly-incision" are yet to be clear and establish. Our intention is to present 72 of first 100 cases of total hip arthroplasty performed by "minimaly-incision" surgery. In our opinion first results are positve and we intend to continue with this kind of surgery.