Association of Preoperative Depression Score With Outcomes of Transfibular Total Ankle Arthroplasty.

Favorable short-term results of transfibular total ankle arthroplasty have been reported in several studies; however, the factors affecting these results have not been elucidated. This study aimed to determine whether preoperative depression affects the outcome of transfibular total ankle arthroplasty and whether depression changes with surgery. Scores from the Japanese Society of Surgery of the Foot Ankle/Hindfoot scale (JSSF scale), Self-Administered Foot Evaluation Questionnaire (SAFE-Q), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Timed Up & Go test (TUG) were collected preoperatively, at 6 months, and at 1 year postoperatively from 20 patients. Eighteen patients were diagnosed with osteoarthritis and 2 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The mean age of the patients was 75 years. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with preoperative HADS depression scores above the median (higher depression score group) and below the median (lower depression score group), and intergroup comparisons were made. No significant differences were observed in the JSSF and TUG scores between the groups, both preoperatively and postoperatively. Meanwhile, the SAFE-Q pain subscale score was significantly lower in the higher depression score group than in the lower depression score group (median, 59 vs 90) 1 year postoperatively. There were no differences in the other SAFE-Q subscale scores between the groups. The results suggested that depressive tendencies did not affect postoperative functional results using objective assessment measures but had a negative impact on pain in subjective assessment measures.

Case ReportSubtrochanteric Fracture after Internal Fixation of Femoral Neck Fracture Using the Hansson Pinloc System: A Case Report.

Introduction: Hansson Pinloc system consists of three pins locking into a plate. In biomechanical trials, the novel plate design with its pin configuration enhanced torsional stability. Hansson Pinloc has been used for femoral neck fracture in some countries including Sweden and Japan. Recently, the outcome of a randomized clinical study comparing Hansson Pinloc and conventional Hansson pins was published. However, subtrochanteric fracture after internal fixation using Hansson Pinloc has not been reported in the English literature including the above report. Only several Japanese literatures reported some cases with this post-operative complication. We present a case with subtrochanteric fracture after internal fixation using Hansson Pinloc. Case Report: Subtrochanteric fractures after internal fixation of femoral neck fractures are rare but severe complications. We present our experience of this complication after internal fixation using Hansson Pinloc system which is a new design implant for femoral neck fracture. A 67-year-old woman was diagnosed with a femoral neck fracture of Garden stage I after a fall. She underwent closed reduction and internal fixation using Hansson Pinloc system. At 4 weeks after surgery, she suffered subtrochanteric fracture without any episode of trauma. The patient underwent removal of the instrumentation and internal fixation with a long femoral nail. We get in trouble with removing Hansson Pinloc system due to secondary fracture, and of bone defect. 9 weeks after the second surgery, the patient could get bone union and walk using double T-canes. Conclusion: Surgeons should be cognizant of this post-operative complication before using this system. In osteosynthesis of the femoral neck fracture using Hansson Pinloc, we should keep in mind that subtrochanteric fracture is a possible post-operative complication.

Lumbar spondylolysis in juveniles from the same family: a report of three cases and a review of the literature.

Spondylolysis is reported as a stress fracture of the pars interarticularis with a strong hereditary basis. Three cases of lumbar spondylolysis in juveniles from the same family are reported, and the genetics of the condition are reviewed. The first boy, a 13-year-old soccer player, was diagnosed with terminal stage L5 bilateral spondylolysis with grade 1 slippage. The second boy, a 10-year-old baseball player, had terminal stage right side unilateral spondylolysis. The third boy, also a 10-year-old baseball player, was diagnosed with early stage bilateral L5 spondylolysis. The second and third boys are identical twins, and all three cases exhibited concomitant spina bifida occulta. Lumbar spondylolysis has a strong hereditary basis and is reported to be an autosomal dominant condition.

Minimally invasive and simultaneous removal of herniated intracanal and extracanal lumbar nucleus pulposus with a percutaneous spinal endoscope.

Herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) in the lumbar spine is usually found in the neural canal (in the intracanal space) and occasionally in the extracanal space, where it is known as a lateral HNP. HNP is rarely found simultaneously in both spaces. However, we experienced such a case in a 48-year-old man who presented with right leg pain and lower back pain that had lasted for more than a year. MRI revealed HNP in both the right intracanal and extracanal spaces at L2-L3. A transforaminal approach was used to complete a percutaneous endoscopic discectomy. An 8-mm incision was made with the patient under local anesthesia, and the percutaneous endoscope was inserted at the affected disc space. First, the HNP fragments in the intracanal space were removed, and then the cannula and endoscope were extracted to the extracanal space where the extracanal fragments were removed. Two hours after the surgery, the patient stood and walked. Right leg pain and lower back pain had disappeared. Unlike other techniques such as Love's procedure and the microendoscopic discectomy technique, the use of a transforaminal approach with the percutaneous endoscopic technique enables the HNP fragments in the intracanal and extracanal spaces to be removed at the same time with a single approach.