Deformity of the forearm is common in patients with hereditary multiple exostoses, producing cosmetic and functional impairment in which shortening of the ulna is a significant factor. The results of ulnar lengthening in 10 forearms of eight patients are reported. Lengthening was performed by osteotomy of the shaft followed immediately by a bone graft and internal fixation, or by gradual distra...

External fixation for the purpose of bony realignment has been in practice since the early 1900s and is widely used today. External fixators are primarily used for trauma but may also be used for deformity correction and arthrodesis, among other applications. The advantages of external fixation over open reduction and internal fixation and intramedullary nailing include simplicity of applicatio...

Traditional methods of correcting malunited distal humeral fractures in children involve complex wedge osteotomies held with pins or internal fixation devices. These require a large exposure and challenging fixation. We elected to perform simple transverse osteotomies, without wedges, using a lateral incision. These were maintained by the small AO external fixator. Between 1987 and 2004, five c...

Over 200 high-velocity missile injuries treated in a low-technology environment were audited under the aegis of the International Committee of the Red Cross Hospitals in Afghanistan and Northern Kenya. Femoral fractures were treated either by traction or external fixation using a uniaxial frame. The results showed that patients treated by external fixation remained in hospital longer than those...

Background: Pilon fracture is one of the challenging injuries in orthopedic surgery. Associated soft tissue injury is animportant factor in choosing treatment options. Two major methods of treatment are considered as one-stage openreduction internal fixation (ORIF) and two-stage treatment (primary external fixation and secondary ORIF). The latter ismost accepted in literature. In the current st...

Pelvic fractures in pregnancy are rare, resulting in a paucity of evidence-based management. We describe a case of open book pelvic injury in a 32-year-old woman in her third trimester of pregnancy. She was successfully managed with a supra-acetabular external fixator, which allowed the safe delivery of a healthy baby boy at 34 weeks, via caesarean section. The external fixator was removed post...

Important advances have been made within the last two decades in the field of fracture management. The development of the AO internal fixation system and the advances in cast bracing techniques are but two of the improvements worthy of mention. It is, however, in the field of external fixation of fractures that the greatest advances have been made. This paper traces the history of external fixa...

External fixation is an important option in the acute management of unstable femoral and tibial fractures and the temporary stabilization of periarticular injuries of the knee or ankle. The value of external fixation as the modality of choice in selective civilian and military applications is well documented. Primary indications include damage control for multitrauma management in patients with...

The hybrid fixators, or the fixators that use the thin wire fixation in the periarticular fragment combined with the half-pin fixation in the diaphysis, have made the multiplanar external fixation easier to use and thus growing in popularity. However, the configuration of the ideal hybrid has not been elucidated yet. The purpose of this study was to determine the stiffness characteristics affec...

BACKGROUND Although useful in the emergency treatment of pelvic ring injuries, external fixation is associated with pin tract infections, the patient's limited mobility and a restricted surgical accessibility to the lower abdomen. In this study, the mechanical stability of a subcutaneous internal anterior fixation (SIAF) system is investigated. METHODS A standard external fixation and a SIAF ...