Calculation of pediatric femoral fracture rotation from direct roentgenograms.

BACKGROUND: Radiologic determination of pediatric femoral fracture rotation has been debated. Measuring the antetorsion angle of the fractured femur by computed tomography and comparing it with the opposite side has been the method of choice for this purpose. However, no simple method for direct measurement of femoral fracture rotation exists in the literature. In this study, our aim was to test a mathematical method of measuring the axial plane malrotation from direct roentgenograms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A pediatric femoral shaft fracture model was produced. The bone was secured to a wooden frame that allowed the distal part of the fracture to rotate around an axis. Radiographs were taken at known intervals of rotation ranging from the neutral position to 60° external rotation and to 60° internal rotation in 5° increments of rotation. Five independent, blinded observers measured the radiographs and calculated the fracture rotation according to a standard formula. Calculated rotation values were compared with known rotation values. RESULTS: Calculated rotation values were close to actual rotation values throughout the arc of rotation. The mean absolute error of five observers for all measurements of external and internal rotation was 3.97° (±0.83). The correlation coefficient between calculated and actual rotation values was 0.9927. The interobserver intraclass correlation coefficient for calculated rotation was 0.997. CONCLUSIONS: Absolute error and correlation coefficient values indicate that this method is accurate and reliable in determining the fracture rotation.

Rhinocerebral mucormycosis: experience in 14 patients.

OBJECTIVE: Mucormycosis is an opportunist, often lethal fungal infection which occurs in immunocompromised patients. We present our experience in 14 patients with this condition. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted for 14 patients treated for rhinocerebral mucormycosis. RESULTS: Nine patients had diabetes mellitus and six had a haematological malignancy. Nine patients had cutaneous and/or palatal necrosis. Eleven patients were treated with amphotericin B and five with liposomal amphotericin B. Endoscopic sinus surgery was performed in five patients with disease limited to the sinonasal cavity; nine patients underwent more extensive surgery. Five patients with disease limited to the sinonasal cavity survived, while nine patients with widely disseminated disease died. Five of the nine diabetic patients died, as did five of the six patients with haematological malignancy. CONCLUSION: Patients with rhinocerebral mucormycosis spreading outside the sinonasal cavity have a poor prognosis.

Guillotine and dissection tonsillectomy in children.

Tonsillectomy as an outpatient or same day-stay procedure is becoming increasingly popular. A retrospective study was performed on 1,049 children who underwent tonsillectomy and adenotonsillectomy either with guillotine or dissection with snare method. The dissection method was performed both under general anaesthesia and with local anaesthesia, but the guillotine method was performed only with local anaesthesia. Generally, bleeding control required no special intervention in the guillotine method but haemostasis was achieved by ligation and electrocauterization in one-third of the patients in the dissection group operated under general anaesthesia. The greatest percentage of haemorrhage in both methods occurred within the first four post-operative hours. There was a 1.8 per cent incidence of severe reactive haemorrhage required surgical intervention in the dissection group operated under general anaesthesia, but there was no such case in the guillotine group. The results of this study show that in carefully selected children guillotine tonsillectomy with local anaesthesia is a safe, time saving and cost-effective procedure.