Reverse Contralateral Distal Femoral Locking Compression Plate for Subtrochanteric Femoral Fractures: A Comparative Retrospective Study with Cephalomedullary Nail and Technical Note

Background: Cephalomedullary nails (CMN) have been proven to be the implant of choice in Subtrochanteric Femoral Fractures. The reverse contralateral distal femoral locking compression plate (DF-LCP) is an alternative fixation in cases that are unsuitable for nailing. The comparative studies made of these two fixation techniques are inadequate. Objective: To retrospectively analyze and compare the outcomes of these two fixation techniques and demonstrate the apparent surgical technique for applying the reverse contralateral DF-LCP. Materials and Methods: The present study included patients over 18 years of age diagnosed of subtrochanteric fractures and treated with either DF-LCP or CMN. Retrospective comparative analyses of union time, operative times, estimated blood loss, and complications were conducted from their medical records and serial radiographs. The surgical technique for reverse contralateral DF-LCP fixation is also described in the present study. Results: The present study enrolled 106 eligible patients, in which 33 patients were treated with reverse contralateral DF-LCP, and 73 patients with CMN. There were no significant differences in age, gender, type of fracture, or history of smoking between the two groups. However, there were significant differences in the requirements of the open reduction technique with 26 fractures (78.8%) in the DF-LCP group and 17 fractures (23.3%) in the CMN group (p<0.001). The comparative outcomes of the DF-LCP and CMN groups demonstrated the statistically significant difference in the number of malreductions or malunions, comprising four events (12.1%) and 22 events (30.1%), respectively (p=0.036). There were no statistically significant differences in terms of union time, operative time, and the amounts of estimated blood loss. Conclusion: The reverse contralateral DF-LCP fixation technique demonstrated comparable outcomes in terms of union time, operative time, and blood loss, and was deemed a safe procedure for subtrochanteric femoral fracture. Lower occurrences of malreduction or malunion complication were shown in DF-LCP group. Keywords: Subtrochanteric fracture; Reverse contralateral distal femoral locking compression plate; Cephalomedullary nail

Mesh fixation techniques for inguinal hernia repair: an overview of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials

Purpose Inguinal hernia repair using surgical mesh is a very common surgical operation. Currently, there is no consensus on the best technique for mesh fixation. We conducted an overview of existing systematic reviews (SRs) of randomised controlled trials to compare the risk of chronic pain and recurrence following open and laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs using various mesh fixation techniques. Methods We searched major electronic databases in April 2020 and assessed the methodological quality of identified reviews using the AMSTAR-2 tool. Results We identified 20 SRs of variable quality assessing suture, self-gripping, glue, and mechanical fixation. Across reviews, the risk of chronic pain after open mesh repair was lower with glue fixation than with suture and comparable between self-gripping and suture. Incidence of chronic pain was lower with glue fixation than with mechanical fixation in laparoscopic repairs. There were no significant differences in recurrence rates between fixation techniques in open and laparoscopic mesh repairs, although fewer recurrences were reported with suture. Many reviews reported wide confidence intervals around summary estimates. Despite no clear evidence of differences among techniques, two network meta-analyses (one assessing open repairs and one laparoscopic repairs) ranked glue fixation as the best treatment for reducing pain and suture for reducing the risk of recurrence. Conclusion Glue fixation may be effective in reducing the incidence of chronic pain without increasing the risk of recurrence. Future research should consider both the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of fixation techniques alongside the type of mesh and the size and location of the hernia defect.

The Evolution of Olecranon Fractures and Its Fixation Strategies

Introduction. Olecranon fractures are a common fracture of the upper extremity. The primary aim was to investigate the evolution of olecranon fractures and fixation method over a period of 12 years. The secondary aim was to compare complication rates of Tension Band Wiring (TBW) and Plate Fixation (PF). Materials and Methods Retrospective Study for all patients with surgically treated olecranon fractures from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2016 from a tertiary trauma center. Records review for demographic, injury characteristics, radiographic classification and configuration, implant choices and complications. Results grouped into three 4-year intervals, analyzed comparatively to establish significant trends over 12 years. Results 262 patients were identified. Demographically, increasing mean age (48.7 to 58.9 years old, p-value 0.004) and higher ASA scores (7.1% ASA 3 to 21.0% ASA 3 p-value 0.001). Later fractures were more oblique (fracture angle 86.1 to 100.0 degrees, p-value 0.001) and comminuted (Schatzker D type 10.4–30.0%, p-value 0.025, single fracture line 94.0–66.0%, p-value 0.001). Implant choice, sharp increase in PF compared to TBW (PF 16.0% to PF 80.2%, p-value 0.001). Complication-wise, TBW had higher rates of symptomatic implant, implant and bony failures and implant removal. Conclusion Demographic and fracture characteristic trends suggest that olecranon fractures are exhibiting fragility fracture characteristics (older age, higher ASA scores, more unstable, oblique and comminuted olecranon fractures). Having a high index of suspicion would alert surgeons to consider use of advanced imaging, utilize appropriate fixation techniques and manage the underlying osteoporosis for secondary fracture prevention. Despite this, trends suggest a potential overutilization of PF particularly for stable fracture patterns and the necessary precaution should be exercised.

A biomechanical analysis of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion alone or combined cervical fixations in treating compression-extension injury with unilateral facet joint fracture: a finite element study

Background Compression-extension injury with unilateral facet joint fracture is one of the most devastating injuries of subaxial cervical spine. However, it is not yet clear which fixation technique represents the optimal choice in surgical management. This study aims to assess the construct stability at the operative level (C4/C5 cervical spine) following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) alone and combined fixation techniques (posterior-anterior fixations). Methods A previously validated three-dimensional C2-T1 finite element model were modified to simulate surgical procedures via the anterior-only approach (ACDF) and combined cervical approach [(transarticular screw, lateral mass screw, unilateral pedicle screw, bilateral pedicle screw) + ACDF, respectively] for treating compression-extension injury with unilateral facet joint fracture at C4/C5 level. Construct stability (range of rotation, axial compression displacement and anterior shear displacement) at the operative level was comparatively analyzed. Results In comparison with combined fixation techniques, a wider range of motion and a higher maximum von Mises stress was found in single ACDF. There was no obvious difference in range of motion among transarticular screw and other posterior fixations in the presence of anterior fixation. In addition, the screws inserted by transarticular screw technique had high stress concentration at the middle part of the screw but much less than 500 MPa under different conditions. Furthermore, the variability of von Mises stress in the transarticular screw fixation device was significantly lower than ACDF but no obvious difference compared with other posterior fixations. Conclusions Of the five fixation techniques, ACDF has proven poor stability and high structural stress. Compared with lateral and pedicle screw, transarticular screw technique was not worse biomechanically and less technically demanding to acquire in clinical practice. Therefore, our study suggested that combined fixation technique (transarticular screw + ACDF) would be a reasonable treatment option to acquire an immediate stabilization in the management of compression-extension injury with unilateral facet joint fracture. However, clinical aspects must also be regarded when choosing a reconstruction method for a specific patient.

A Retrospective Study on Management of the Distal End of the Radius Fractures

Introduction: The distal end radius fracture is a common fracture type and represents about one sixth of all skeletal fractures. They commonly occur in young males and older females. In young adults it is more common to see a fracture of the Intra-articular component in distal radius, probably due to high-energy trauma such as road traffic accidents. The patient may come with symptoms of pain and swelling around the wrist, sometimes with deformity around the wrist or tenderness at an area with no obvious deformity. Objectives: To analyse the various treatment methods and their outcomes. Materials and Methods: It is a retrospective study conducted on the distal end of radius fractures by the orthopedic department of Saveetha Medical College and Hospital in the years 2018, 2019 and 2020. All the patients were examined both clinically and radiologically. Anteroposterior (AP) and lateral views of the wrist joint on both sides were obtained at the time of injury presentation. Fractures were classified according to the AO classification and anatomical features like the presence of dorsal tilt, radial shortening and loss of radial inclination are also assessed using the Sarmiento’s modification of Lindstrom Criteria. Results: Anatomical results evaluated according to Sarmiento’s modification of Lindstrom criteria showed excellent results were more frequent with open reduction and internal fixation techniques but the most frequently used treatment modality is closed reduction and cast immobilisation. Conclusion: There is no customised treatment for all distal end of radius fractures hence the treatment depends on various factors like the fracture type, characters, patient’s demands and the surgeon’s preference.

Making a science out of preanalytics: An analytical method to determine optimal tissue fixation in real-time

Modern histopathology is built on the cornerstone principle of tissue fixation, however there are currently no analytical methods of detecting fixation and as a result, in clinical practice fixation is highly variable and a persistent source of error. We have previously shown that immersion in cold formalin followed by heated formalin is beneficial for preservation of histomorphology and have combined two-temperature fixation with ultra-sensitive acoustic monitoring technology that can actively detect formalin diffusing into a tissue. Here we expand on our previous work by developing a predictive statistical model to determine when a tissue is properly diffused based on the real-time acoustic signal. We trained the model based on the morphology and characteristic diffusion curves of 30 tonsil cores. To test our model, a set of 87 different tonsil samples were fixed with four different protocols: dynamic fixation according to our predictive algorithm (C/H:Dynamic, N = 18), gold-standard 24 hour room temperature (RT:24hr, N = 24), 6 hours in cold formalin followed by 1 hour in heated formalin (C/H:6+1, N = 21), and 2 hours in cold formalin followed by 1 hour in heated formalin (C/H:2+1, N = 24). Digital pathology analysis revealed that the C/H:Dynamic samples had FOXP3 staining that was spatially uniform and statistically equivalent to RT:24hr and C/H:6+1 fixation protocols. For comparison, the intentionally underfixed C/H:2+1 samples had significantly suppressed FOXP3 staining (p<0.002). Furthermore, our dynamic fixation protocol produced bcl-2 staining concordant with standard fixation techniques. The dynamically fixed samples were on average only submerged in cold formalin for 4.2 hours, representing a significant workflow improvement. We have successfully demonstrated a first-of-its-kind analytical method to assess the quality of fixation in real-time and have confirmed its performance with quantitative analysis of downstream staining. This innovative technology could be used to ensure high-quality and standardized staining as part of an expedited and fully documented preanalytical workflow.