ABSTRACT
Pelvic fractures complicated by the presence of visceral injuries, open fractures and urethral or bladder injuries pose a significant challenge to treat. In these conditions internal fixation is usually contraindicated. External fixators, though a potential solution, have disadvantages like loss of reduction, pin tract infection and loosening. INFIX, a novel technique has been effective in managing anterior ring fractures and can be used as a substitute for internal fixation. We describe use of INFIX as EXFIX in three case scenarios where passing INFIX rod internally was precluded with favorable outcomes.
Subject(s)
Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods , Fractures, Bone/surgery , Pelvic Bones/injuries , Adolescent , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
For those stricken with tuberculosis, a disease that was present in ancient times, treatment was originally limited to conservative treatment including high altitude, fresh air, rest, and immobilization, manual reduction devices, and surgical procedures. Mortality and morbidity were high until the advent of antitubercular chemotherapy in the 1940s. Today multidrug regimen enable good disease clearance and also make direct surgical debridement without complications possible. Antitubercular drugs have reduced mortality by 72.5%. Surgical intervention is reserved for selected situations.
Subject(s)
Discitis/history , Discitis/surgery , Orthopedic Procedures/history , Orthopedics/history , Tuberculosis, Spinal/history , Tuberculosis, Spinal/surgery , History, 15th Century , History, 16th Century , History, 17th Century , History, 18th Century , History, 19th Century , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , History, Ancient , History, Medieval , HumansABSTRACT
The identification of the extent of neural damage in patients with acute or chronic spinal cord injury is imperative for the accurate prediction of neurological recovery. The changes in signal intensity shown on routine MRI sequences are of limited value for predicting functional outcome. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a novel radiological imaging technique which has the potential to identify intact nerve fibre tracts, and has been used to image the brain for a variety of conditions. DTI imaging of the spinal cord is currently only a research tool, but preliminary studies have shown that it holds considerable promise in predicting the severity of spinal cord injury. This paper briefly reviews our current knowledge of this technique.
