Disuse osteopenia is a complication of immobilisation, with reversal generally noted upon remobilisation. This case report focuses on a patient who was seen 18 years following a road traffic collision when multiple fractures were sustained. The patient had an external fixator fitted for a tibia and fibula fracture, which remained in situ for a period of 4 years. Following removal, the patient w...

Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia continues to pose one of the most difficult problems in paediatric orthopaedic surgery. The surgical procedures most used for treating congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia are intramedullary nailing associated with bone grafting, vascularized fibular graft and the Ilizarov external circular fixator. Even when union is achieved, the residual deformities i...

Several methods for obtaining knee arthrodesis have been described in the literature and world; over, the commonest cause for arthrodesis is a failed arthroplasty. Less commonly, as in this series, post-infective or traumatic causes may also require a knee fusion wherein arthroplasty may not be indicated. We present salient advantages along with the radiological and functional outcome of twenty...

Torsional problems of the femur have been traditionally treated by a proximal osteotomy with internal fixation. We elected to perform femoral derotational osteotomies distally. Between September 1994 and April 2001, supracondylar osteotomies were performed on 38 femora in 21 children with torsional and angular deformities. The average age was 9 years (range 5-15 years). Twenty-three femora had ...

In a prospective, randomised study we have compared the pertrochanteric external fixator (PF) with the sliding hip screw (SHS) in 100 consecutive patients who were allocated randomly to the two methods of treatment. Details of the patients and the patterns of fracture were similar in both groups. Follow-up was for six months. Use of the PF was associated with significantly less blood loss, a sh...

BACKGROUND Placement of external fixation frames is an expedient and minimally invasive method of achieving bone and joint stability in the setting of severe trauma. Although anatomic safe zones are established for placement of external fixation pins, neurovascular structures may be at risk in the setting of severe trauma. CASE REPORT We present a case of a 21-year-old female involved in a hi...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE External fixators allowing movement during fracture healing are commonly used for treatment of unstable distal radius fractures. The dynamic Dynawrist fixator with the distal pins in metacarpal bone may avoid fixation problems in comminuted fractures and may reduce the risk of nerve injury. We compared anatomical and functional outcome for the well-established Hoffmann co...

Femoral non-unions are difficult to treat even for the experienced orthopaedic trauma surgeon. If the non-union follows failure of modern stable internal fixation, the complexity of the management is further increased. We report two cases of stiff hypertrophic femoral non-unions after failed locking plate fixation that were successfully treated with a new hexapod circular external fixator. In a...

OBJECTIVE To conduct a retrospective analysis on cases undergoing inspection of orthopedic damage, at an orthopedic emergency service in a teaching hospital, with the aim of evaluating patients with postoperative infection after conversion to internal osteosynthesis. METHODS This was a retrospective analysis covering the period from June 2012 to June 2013, on patients who underwent inspection...

Intertrochanteric fractures of the femur were treated with an external fixator in 38 elderly high-risk patients between November 2005 and February 2007. The mean operation time was 25 min (range: 20 to 32 min), the mean fluoroscopy time was 15 sec (range: 10 to 18 sec), and the mean hospital stay was four days (range: 3 to 7 days). The average time to union was 9.5 weeks. No deep pin track infe...