Tibial torsion in osteoarthrosis of the knee joint

The incidence, direction and extent of tibial torsion in 311 patients with osteoarthrosis of the knee were studied [350 affected knees] using a tropometer. The control group consisted of 200 individuals [400 tibiae] of different ages, not suffering from osteoarthrosis. The tibiae of the first group on the nonaffected side were also measured and compared with the diseased and control subjects. In the control group there was no subjects with internal tibial torsion, zero torsion was present in 0.5% and all the remaining tibiae showed external tibial torsion [99.5%]. The range of external tibial torsion in them was 1-40, average 26.2. In the non-osteoarthrotic side in patients there was tibial internal torsion of 1- 20, average 9.2 in 17.7%, and external torsion of 1 to 29, average 19.9 in 78%, and zero torsion in 4.3%. In the non-osteoarthrotic side in patients there was zero torsion in 1.1%, external tibial torsion of 3 - 30, average 23.1 in 98.9%, and no tibiae with internal tibial torsion. It is concluded that internal tibial torsion is closely connected with osteoarthrosis of the knee joint, particularly when the medial compartment is affected, as a cause or as a result, most probably as an aetiological factor

De Quervain's disease: a plea for early treatment

This paper presented the results of treatment in 109 patients with 113 wrists affected. They were divided randomly into two groups: Group A [59 patients with 62 wrists treated surgically by slitting of the roof of the first dorsal compartment] and group B [50 patients with 51 wrists treated conservatively with local cortisone injection]. The average age was 37.8 years. Most of the patients were housewives and the duration of symptoms varied from one week to more than one year with an average of 2.6 months. Conservative method gave satisfactory results only in early cases, while surgical slitting was the best, especially in late cases with long standing symptoms. Diabetic patients, patients with high sedimentation rate, patients with latex test positive, and patients with longer duration of symptoms gave less satisfactory results and this was found statistically significant