Clinical and radiographic improvement of rickets in Bangladeshi children as a result of nutritional advice.

BACKGROUND: Calcium-deficiency rickets is common in south-east Bangladesh and responds to calcium supplementation. AIM: To evaluate the healing effect on active rickets of a five-component nutritional advice programme aimed at doubling dietary calcium intakes. METHODS: Forty-nine children aged <10 years with mild lower limb deformities and active rickets were followed over a period of 12 months. All were provided with a five-component nutritional advice programme advocating (i) the routine addition of 1 g limestone/kg rice, (ii) consuming small fish (including bones) instead of large ones, and (iii) daily consumption of 5 g ground sesame seeds, (iv) 100 g leafy vegetables and, if possible, (v) 100 ml of milk. RESULTS: Radiographic scores improved in 90% of children. The response was positively associated with age (r=0.34, n=48, p=0.01) and severity of radiographic score at baseline (r=0.85, n=49, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of a statistically significant association between radiographic improvement and compliance with nutritional advice, in mild calcium-deficiency active rickets, nutritional advice may be a cost-effective treatment and possibly a valuable long-term solution to the problem.

[Evaluation of a long-distance data transmission network in foot and ankle surgery]. / Evaluation d'une consultation en réseau avec télétransmission des données en chirurgie de la cheville et du pied.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This prospective work was designed to evaluate the concordance of the opinions of four experts interrogated via a long-distance inter-hospital data transmission system by an orthopedic surgeon seeking advise on foot and ankle surgery patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The surgeon requested advice concerning patients presenting difficult diagnostic or therapeutic situations. The requests were submitted via email to four experts working in regional referral centers. A standardized method defined by pathological categories was used for case description and imaging. RESULTS: Requests concerning 30 among 450 patients presenting surgical foot and ankle disorders were addressed to the experts. The surgical problem involved the forefoot (46%), the mid foot (16%), the hind foot (7%) and the ankle (31%). Mean delay to response was 11 days. The index of diagnostic agreement was 3.2/4 and the index of therapeutic agreement was 2.6/4. DISCUSSION: This study was designed to analyze the operating procedures involved (respective responsibility of the requesting surgeon and the regional experts, remuneration due to the different participants) and the potential patient benefit. The appropriateness of the email transmission system was also examined. For this type of study, email transmission was indicated because of the low cost, easy use, and image quality. This work illustrated the very good diagnostic and therapeutic concordance between experts in foot and ankle surgery and thus demonstrated the potential usefulness of long-distance expert systems. Furthermore, implication of several experts provided greater precision and complementary information facilitating management of difficult cases.

[Percutaneous epiphysiodesis. Analysis of a series of 60 full-grown patients]. / L'épiphysiodèse percutanée. Analyse d'une série de 60 patients à maturité.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Percutaneous epiphysiodesis is the actual treatment for mild leg length discrepancy. The authors discuss complications and efficiency of this technique and its accuracy for the prevision of leg length discrepancy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We reviewed 60 skeletally mature patients (35 boys, 25 girls). Limb length was defined by clinical and teleradiographic evaluation. Bone age was recorded using Sempé's and Pavia's atlas, using the hand, and Sauvegrain's method, using the elbow. Anticipated discrepancies and timing of epiphysiodesis were calculated using Héchard and Carlioz's graph. The percutaneous curetage was employed in all cases. RESULTS: The treatment was successful for all cases. Complications occurred postoperatively in 2 children who developed an hematoma. 10 children required a surgical revision: 2 cases had an inverted discrepancy, 4 patients were found to have limb deviation, and in four children this treatment was not adequate. The outcome was excellent in 48.3 per cent of cases, satisfactory in 31.7 per cent, acceptable in 6.7 per cent and bad for 13.3 per cent of cases. DISCUSSION: Percutaneous epiphysiodesis is well tolerated in childhood with similar results to other techniques (stapling and Phemister's technique). Our experience suggest that:--complications are rare--this treatment is a satisfactory surgical solution--effective previsions for the best time for surgery have not yet been defined.

[The results after 10-16 years of the treatment of chronic anterior laxity of the knee using reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament with a patellar tendon graft combined with an external extra-articular reconstruction]. / Les résultats après 10 à 16 ans du traitement de la laxité chronique antérieure du genou par une reconstruction du ligament croisé antérieur avec une greffe de tendon rotulien associée à une plastie extra-articulaire externe. A propos de 138 cas.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the objective postoperative laxity and functional results with a minimum follow-up of 10 years (mean 11.7 +/- 2 years) in chronic anterior knee instability treated by ACL reconstruction associated to a lateral extra-articular plasty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 138 patients of a mean age of 27.8 +/- 8.5 years had been operated. Delay between injury and operation was 4 +/- 4.8 years. The surgical "Mac Injones" procedure used a free autologous patellar tendon graft with a bone-to-bone fixation, supplemented by a lateral extra-articular plasty using a strip of quadriceps tendon as a direct prolongation of the graft of the patellar tendon and patella itself. A rehabilitation program aimed to an early recovery of a complete range of motion. Anterior laxity had been measured before and after operation using two instrumented methods, KT-1000 and stress-radiography (at 20 degrees of flexion with a 9 kg load applied at the distal part of the thigh) with measurements of the displacement in medial and lateral compartments. Tunnel positioning was appreciated radiologically. Function was evaluated using the International Knee Documentation Committee score (I.K.D.C.). RESULTS: Elongation of the reconstructed ligament occurred mainly during the first 6 month, but was independent from early full range of motion recovery. Laxity was stabilized after one year. The final laxity gain of the medial compartment was 62 per cent and for the lateral compartment 77 per cent. The pivot shift test was negative in 66 per cent, grade 2 in 4 per cent, grade 1 in 30 per cent. Functional results were excellent and good (A and B) in 60.4 per cent and 76.7 per cent returned to sports activity. 12 reconstructed ligaments reruptured. Arthritis was the cause of poor results in other cases (13.8 per cent). DISCUSSION: Lateral extra-articular plasty is unable to better control translation of the medial compartment than isolated anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, but laxity of the lateral compartment was minimized and the pivot shift test also. Incorrect position of the anterior cruciate ligament was correlated with poor results. CONCLUSION: This documented study on laxity of the two compartments confirms the interest of each type of reconstruction, in particular extra-articular plasty when made with quadriceps tendon and so doing, preserving the iliotibial-band for the control of varus stability.