In cases of chronic irreducible and recurrent unstable atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF), closed reduction and its maintenance are often unsuccessful, requiring surgical treatment. The purpose of the present report is to describe a rare case of pediatric AARF that required multiple treatments. A 6-year-old boy was diagnosed as having type 2 AARF. After conservative treatment, the patient wa...

Removal of locking plates in many ways poses novel challenges compared to conventional plates. None of the techniques described for the removal of locking plates are adequate for all situations. We report our experience of 27 patients from whom a total of 33 locking plates were removed. We also describe a novel technique for the removal of locking plates which in our experience could be used in...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of screw fixation without bone fusion for unstable thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fracture. METHODS Nine patients younger than 40 years underwent screw fixation without bone fusion, following postural reduction using a soft roll at the involved vertebra, in cases of burst fracture. Their motor power was in...

This study aims to evaluate clinical efficacy of short segment pedicle screw fixation without bone fusion for unstable thoracolumbar burst fracture. Nineteen patients younger than 40 years old with unstable thoracolumbar burst fractures were included. The surgical procedure included postural reduction for 3 days and screw fixations at one level above, one level below and at the fractured level ...

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been introduced over the last few years as a promising after- treatment system for nitrogen oxides and particulate matter removal from diesel exhaust. NTP technology has not been commercialised as yet, due to its high rate of energy consumption. Therefore, it is important to seek out new methods to improve NTP performance. Residence time is a crucial parameter in en...

Cannulated AO screws are commonly used for fracture fixation. Mechanical failure of screws has been well reported but this was mainly breakage of the screw head during removal. We report an unusual mode of failure of an AO self drilling cannulated screw which we have not previously experienced, where the screw threads were found to be unravelled during insertion. We also suggest the way to reco...

INTRODUCTION Much of the currently available data on the technical aspects of syndesmotic screw placement are based upon biomechanical studies, using cadaveric legs with different testing protocols, and on surgeon preference. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the level of syndesmotic screw insertion on functional outcome. Further, the effects of number of cortices e...

PURPOSE This study was conducted to assess the effect of using a double screw on the prevention of abutment screw loosening. MATERIALS AND METHODS Internal connected abutment with a single screw (IS), internal connected abutment with a double screw (ID), external connected abutment with a single screw (ES), and external connected abutment with a double screw (ED) groups were prepared (n = 10 ...

Percutaneous epiphysiodesis using transphyseal screws is a common method for treatment of limb length discrepancy and angular deformity. The authors report 3 cases of a previously unreported complication following treatment with percutaneous epiphysiodesis using transphyseal screws: bending of the transphyseal screw. In each case, this rare complication was associated with difficult removal of ...