The history of fractures of the proximal femur

Surgery in the first half of the nineteenth century was primarily dominated by pain and fear of lethal infections. Therefore, the absolute majority of fractures and dislocations were treated non-operatively. Development of operative treatment of fractures was influenced by three major inventions: anaesthesia (1846), antisepsis (1865) and X-rays (1895). The first to use external fixation is traditionally considered to be Malgaigne (1843). However, his devices cannot be considered as external fixation. Von der Höhe, in 1843, fixed a non-union of the femur by inserting into both fragments a couple of screws transversely connected outside the wound. Von Langenbeck in 1855 treated a non-union of the humerus with screws connected by a devise designed for this purpose. A predecessor of nailing of acute diaphyseal fractures may be considered to be fixation of diaphyseal non-unions of the femur, humerus and tibia with ivory intramedullary pegs, performed by Dieffenbach in 1846. Nevertheless, until 1885, osteosynthesis was still a Cinderella having at its disposal mainly wires, ivory pegs and very primitive types of external fixation. During the following 35 years (1886-1921), operative treatment of fractures witnessed an unprecedented revolution. Radiology became an integral part of bone and joint surgery. All types of osteosynthesis, i.e. plates (Hansmann 1886), external fixation (Parkhill 1897) and intramedullary nails (Schöne 1913) were introduced into clinical practice. Basic experiments were undertaken, surgical approaches described and the first textbooks on osteosynthesis published.

show abstract

Avulsed posterior edge of the tibia

Bartoníček

2004

The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British volume

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The term Volkmann's triangle for the avulsed posterior edge of the tibia in fracture-dislocations of the ankle is incorrect. Volkmann did not publish any articles relating to the posterior edge of the tibia. Credit should go to Henry Earle, who was an outstanding British surgeon of the first half of 19th century. He described avulsion of the posterior edge of the tibia in 1828. In 1823 he also published a monograph entitled Practical observations in surgery in which he described a specially designed bed for the conservative treatment of proximal fractures of the femur.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

hi@scite.ai

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

The history of fractures of the proximal femur

Cited by 3 publications

References 14 publications

Josias Weitbrecht, the founder of syndesmology, and the history of the retinacula of Weitbrecht

Josias Weitbrecht, the founder of syndesmology, and the history of the retinacula of Weitbrecht

Early history of operative treatment of fractures

Avulsed posterior edge of the tibia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About