ABSTRACT
The AO internal fixation system(the Fixateur Interne) is effective in reducing and stablizing a variety of unstable thoracolumbar fracture patterns. It is relatively effective in decompressing the canal of retropulsed bony fragments associated with burst fracture. Sixty-Two patients with unstable thoracolumbar spine fractures were treated with the AO internal fixator. They were followed for an average of 21 months(range 15-29 months). A compartive radiographic analysis of kyphosis and vertebral height was made using pre-operative, post-operative and follow-up radiogram. Changes in neural canal compromise were measured in 18 cases of burst fractures. Failure of instrumentation occured in 9 cases which were carefully analyzed. Recently, we've constructed the system of which the Schanz screws would be directed divergently in sagittal plane in the hope that the load to the screws might be reduced, thus the failure rate.
Subject(s)
Humans , Follow-Up Studies , Hope , Internal Fixators , Kyphosis , Neural Tube , SpineABSTRACT
The ultrasound is also helpful to make the diagnosis of a variety of soft tissue tumors bacause of its safety, low cost, non-invasiveness and usefulness. We analysed ultrasonographic findings of 43 cases of soft tissue tumors which were histopathologically confirmed by biopsy and obtained the following results. The ultrasonography could effectively image not only the presence, size and location of the lesion, but also the relationship between the lesion and the adjacent structures. And this method could easily identify the consistency of the lesion, solid or cystic nature, be used to guide the percutaneous biopsy and aspiration without exposure to radiation, and afford the differentiation of malignant lesion from benign one. It could also define the eritities of soft tissue tumors by the nature of internal echo, margin of the lesion, internal echo homogeniety, post-acoustic enhancement, and so on.