The quadratus femoris graft in old transcervical femoral fractures.

Sixteen patients with an old transcervical femoral fracture were treated with the quadratus femoris muscle pedicle bone graft with supplementary autografting. The result was a good functional hip in 14 cases.

A new peridural needle-the 'LOLO' needle.

Peridural needles in present day use have a compromised function because of their circular cross section. An ideal peridural needle must be sharp to cut the spinal ligaments and at the same time blunt enough to ensure prevention of dural perforation. This ideal function is only possible if the bevel and tip of the needle are not inversely related as is the case in circular cross section needles. The 'LOLO' peridural needle developed by us is free of this compromise. It has a square cross section with a long, sharp eccentric tip. The bevel is flat and rectangular. The side opening is 4 mms from the tip of the needle through which the catheter is deflected out. Such a design is sharp to traverse the spinal ligaments and also effectively ensures dural tenting and prevent perforation. These properties have been proved by a myelographic study and compared to other conventional needles.

Role of pulsed electromagnetic fields in recalcitrant non-unions.

Twenty-nine patients of recalcitrant nonunion of long bones were treated by pulsed electromagnetic fields in an attempt to bring about osteogenesis. The pulse used was rectangular, equal mark space wave in the astable, continuous mode operating at a frequency of 40 Hertz. The success rate was 82.5%. The result was not dependent on the age, sex, time of nonunion or the presence of infection. However, the results were uniformly poor when infection and fracture instability were coexistent in the same patient.