Operative treatment of complex intra-articular scapular fractures: long-term functional outcomes in a single-center study.

BACKGROUND: Scapula fractures occur in the setting of high-energy trauma. Operative treatment of complex intra-articular scapular fractures can result in adequate surgical and functional outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with complex, displaced intra-articular scapular fractures with or without involvement of the scapular body, were treated operatively in a single trauma center between 2010 and 2021. Associated injuries such as ipsilateral upper limb fractures and nerve injuries were identified in the majority of the patients. Fixation with anatomical medial and lateral border precontoured plates was utilized following posterior modified Judet approach or/and anterior deltopectoral approach. Functional outcome was assessed using the Oxford Shoulder Score and detailed shoulder range of motion and return to work/activities data were obtained. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 69 months (range 4-135 months), individual functional outcomes for 25 of the 27 patients revealed a mean Oxford Shoulder Score of 33 (69%), mean active flexion of 120 degrees, active abduction of 110 degrees, mean active external rotation of 35 degrees and mean internal rotation to the level of T5. All patients were pain-free at the latest follow-up, and 23 of 25 had returned to their preinjury occupation and activities. CONCLUSION: Operative treatment for these complex injuries is a viable option at centers equipped to handle critically ill patients and can result in satisfactory range of motion and functional score measurements along with a relatively low number of complications.

Bilateral Femoral Neck Fracture Following an Epileptic Seizure in a Patient with Severe Vitamin D Deficiency: A Case Report.

Simultaneous bilateral femoral neck fractures represent a rare entity and are usually associated with bone metabolism disorders, chronic steroid treatment, epileptic convulsions, or high-energy trauma. Here we report a case of bilateral femoral neck fracture in a patient with severe vitamin D deficiency following an epileptic seizure. Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the pelvis revealed Garden III femoral neck fractures on both hips. A single-stage operation involving bilateral uncemented bipolar hemiarthroplasties using the anterolateral approach was performed. Three months postoperatively, the patient was able to ambulate independently. Simultaneous bilateral femoral neck fractures following an epileptic seizure is a rare injury. In our case, severe vitamin D deficiency and chronic use of antiepileptics predisposed the patient to this condition. Orthopaedic surgeons and other clinicians should be aware of such an uncommon pathology. A multidisciplinary team approach is essential in identifying risk factors and optimizing inpatient management and postoperative rehabilitation. A single-stage bilateral procedure with an uncemented bipolar hip hemiarthroplasty in order to reduce cement disease in this frail patient has been successful in restoring functional capacity and allowing the patient to return to his preinjury ambulatory status.

Evaluating decision rules for nitrogen fertilization.

It is important, both for farmer profit and for the environment, to correctly dose nitrogen fertilizer for crop growth. Fertilizer recommendations are embodied in decision rules, which give a recommended dose of nitrogen (N) as a function of information available at the time the decision is made. In this paper, we first propose a criterion for evaluating decision rules. The proposed criterion is the expectation of the objective function when the decision rule is implemented. The major problem here is the estimation of this criterion. Two estimators are considered, a model-based and a nonparametric estimator. A simulation study shows that, in essentially all cases, the nonparametric estimator is better or no worse than the model-based estimator. The bias in the nonparametric estimator is always very small.