ABSTRACT
Between 1986 and 1992, 43 patients with a displaced Mason type II or type III fracture of the radial head were treated by open reduction and internal fixation using absorbable polyglycolide pins. Five patients were lost to the follow-up. The clinical results were reviewed in 38 patients with an average follow-up time of 27 months. There were 19 type II and 19 type III fractures. The functional results were excellent or good in 36 patients (95%). A postoperative redisplacement was seen in one patient. Use of absorbable polyglycolide pins appear to be a feasible alternative method for the treatment of displaced radial head fractures. The results were at least equal to those obtained with metallic implants, but absorbable devices need not be removed. A complication unique to the absorbable devices is a transient local abacterial tissue reaction. The rate of tissue reaction has decreased lately, and in this study no adverse reactions from the implants occurred.
Subject(s)
Bone Nails , Polyglycolic Acid , Radius Fractures/surgery , Adolescent , Adult , Biocompatible Materials , Elbow Joint/diagnostic imaging , Elbow Joint/physiology , Elbow Joint/surgery , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Radiography , Range of Motion, ArticularABSTRACT
A large kindred with a familial pericentric inversion of chromosome 3, (p12q24), was found after an investigation initiated by a young female with three spontaneous first-trimester abortions. Altogether 22 (33%) inversion carriers were discovered, 9 females and 13 males. 6 women and 9 men were included in the fertility and segregation analyses because they were all either sexually mature or past maturity. The abortion frequency was below the average European rate in both the inversion carrier group and the cytogenetically normal relative group; 6%:3%, respectively. The mean numbers of pregnancies and live births (1.8-3.1) did not vary significantly in the two comparison groups. The segregation analysis among the inversion carriers showed a good correspondence to the theoretical 1:1 ratio (16:13). Males and females contributed equally. No duplication/deletion syndromes have been found in the kindred; all family members are phenotypically normal. We report a balanced familial pericentric inversion with no adverse effects. This chromosome aberration could be an example of a harmless chromosome polymorphism.
