LOW TEMPERATURE THERMOPLASTIC SPLINTING IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CONGENITAL TALIPES EQUINOVARUS

Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) is one of the most common congenital deformities. Treatment of clubfoot should begin at the earliest to have the best outcome. The goal of treatment is to eliminate all deformities of CTEV so that patient has a functional, pain free, plantigrade foot with good mobility within minimum time duration. Treatment includes non-surgical and surgical methods. Conventionally Plaster of Paris (POP) is used for splinting though leather, polypropylene and rubber are also used. Objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of low temperature thermoplastic (LTTP) splinting in CTEV management. This is an on observational study over a period of one year in Thirty-two CTEV patients with Pirani score of less than three. Effectiveness of LTTP splinting was evaluated in detail. It was found that LTTP splinting was cost effective, cosmetically better, reusable, demoldable, and easier to apply. It was of light weight, and required lesser time. It avoids the need for repetitive casting and same splint can be used as maintenance splint also. Pirani score lowered from 3 to 0 after 6 months of splinting. Conclusion –The compliance in donning the splint was high and acceptable among the children studied. Parental satisfaction regarding the splint wearing time and correction of deformity factor was high. Skin complications associated with POP casting were absent in the study population. Hence correction of CTEV with LTTP splinting was more effective than conventional POP casting

Thermoplastic nipple splint: A simple method of maintaining nipple projection

Maintaining projection of the reconstructed nipple is important for achieving natural and aesthetically appealing outcomes in breast reconstruction. Although various methods of avoiding mechanical force on the reconstructed nipple have been developed, the existing methods are inconvenient, crude, non-reusable, and difficult to clean or adjust. In the present study, a simple method of creating a nipple splint using a thermoplastic material is described. This splint can be easily manipulated, washed, and reused, and it is comfortable to wear for long-term use without any complications and convenient for the patient to apply.

Setup errors between head-neck-shoulders system and trunk immobilization system in radiotherapy for esophageal cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective To compare the setup errors of two position fixation, head-neck-shoulders immobilization system and trunk immobilization system in radiotherapy for esophageal cancer, and to provide technical guidance for the fixed modes and determination of plan target volume (PTV) in the intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) of esophageal cancer. Methods 97 thoracic esophageal cancer patients treated with radiotherapy were collected and divided into two groups: head-neck-shoulders group (51 patients immobilized with head-neck-shoulders immobilization system) and trunk group (the other 46 patients immobilized with trunk immobilization system). Before the weekly radiotherapy, all the patients received cone-beam CT (CBCT) scan to get the setup errors of X axis (left and right), Y axis (head and foot) and Z axis (front and back) on line. Results In the head-neck-shoulders group, the errors in X, Y and Z direction were (0.333 ±0.400) cm, (0.333 ±0.291) cm and (0.238 ±0.256) cm, respectively. In trunk group, the errors were (0.327±0.255) cm, (0.582±0.501) cm and (0.189±0.154) cm, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the setup errors in Y axis and Z axis between the head-neck-shoulders group and the trunk group (P< 0.05). Conclusions In the radiotherapy for thoracic esophageal carcinoma, there is no difference in the X axis setup error between head-neck-shoulders system and trunk immobilization system. The Y axis setup error of head-neck-shoulders group is less than that of the trunk group. The Z axis setup error of trunk group is less than the head-neck-shoulders group.

Influence of clear thermoplastic retainer on the electromyography of temporalis muscle and masseter muscle / 实用口腔医学杂志

Clear thermoplastic retainer is one of the most commonly used retention devices in orthodontics.However, studies about the electromyography (EMG) of temporalis muscle (TM) and masseter muscle (MM) in people with clear thermoplastic retainer are few. The purpose of this study was to observe the influence of clear thermoplastic retainer on the EMG of TM and MM in mandible posture position (MPP) , speaking [s] ,[z] and [a]. Choose people according to the standards, decide the situation by preliminary experiment. The EMG of TM, MM was studied before and after clear thermoplastic retainer was worn. Variance analysis was used to evaluate the differences. The results revealed that the EMG activity of TM?MM, viewed in MPP and when people said [s] ,[z] , was higher after clear thermoplastic retainer was worn. When people said [a], there was no significant difference.