Spine fusion remains a common means of achieving stability in spinal surgery. Methods for obtaining fusion involve decortication of the host bed and introduction of a grafting material. Autologous bone has served as the standard material for these procedures in that its three cardinal properties encourage effective bone healing: osteogenic cells, an osteoconductive structure, and an osteoinduct...

AIMS To study the clinical and microbial profile of childhood empyema in South Asia and to identify the changes over the past three decades. METHODS A total of 265 children (aged 1 month to 12 years) with empyema admitted to the Advanced Pediatric Center, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India in 1989-98, were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS One third of children were under 5. Culture ...

Orthodontic closure of old, edentulous spaces in the mandibular posterior region is a major challenge. In this report, we describe a method of orthodontic closure of edentulous spaces in the mandibular posterior region accelerated by piezoelectric decortication and alveolar ridge expansion. Combined piezosurgical and orthodontic treatments were used to close 14- and 15-mm-wide spaces in the man...

Electrophysiological studies have indicated that the nuclei of the midline and internal medullary lamina of the thalamus together constitute a functionally distinct system which may be of considerable importance in the maintenance and control of normal cerebral activity. Since most of the physiological observations on this system have recently been collated in the publication of the symposium o...

Corticotomy-assisted orthodontic treatment is an established and efficient orthodontic technique that has recently been studied in a number of publications. It has gradually gained popularity as an adjunct treatment option for the orthodontic treatment of adults. It involves selective alveolar decortication in the form of decortication lines and dots performed around the teeth that are to be mo...

Primary chronic osteomyelitis of the jaw is an uncommon non-suppurative, chronic inflammatory disease of unknown origin. It can manifest as early or adult onset and is characterised by lack of pus formation, fistula or bony sequestra formation. A 28-year-old woman presented with swelling on the left side of her mandible. On the basis of clinical, radiological and histological findings, primary ...

Two patients with local complications of plombage were treated by removal of the plomb and decortication at a single operation. This provided immediate re-expansion of the lung and avoided the need for thoracoplasty.

Empyema remains a challenge for modern medicine. Cases not amenable to lung decortication are particularly difficult to treat, requiring prolonged hospitalizations and mutilating procedures. This paper presents the current role of thoracomyoplasty procedures, which allow complete and definitive obliteration of the infected pleural space by a combination of thoracoplasty and the use of neighbour...

Video assisted thoracic surgery in advanced stage postpneumonic empyema aims for thorough debridement and washout of the pleural space followed by an attempt to release the entrapped lung (decortication). When the latter isn’t successful, and the patient is in a poor performance status, applying tube thoracostomy is the usual routine, to avoid conversion to thoracotomy and open decortication. T...