Mini-Open Rotator Cuff Tear Repair: An Institutional Experience with a Midterm Follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff tears have long been recognised as a cause of pain and disability. Over the past decades the treatment of rotator cuff tears has evolved from an open procedure to a mini-open procedure to an all-arthroscopic one. The indications and benefits of each of the procedures are still debated. The purpose of this study was to observe the results of "Mini-open repair rotator cuff tear". MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a prospective study conducted in the postgraduate department of Ortho-paedics Government Medical College, Srinagar, from March 2013 to January 2018 with cases followed up for a minimum of 3 years. This study included 50 patients of either sex with non-massive full thickness tears of rotator cuff. RESULTS: The mean UCLA score improved from 10.96 preoperatively to 30.68 at final follow-up. Overall, 88% of the patients achieved excellent or good results and 92% were satisfied. No significant difference was noted in functional outcomes between traumatic and degenerative tears. Size of tear seems to be a determining factor in the functional outcome. Stiffness as a complication occurred in two patients. CONCLUSION: 1. Mini-open rotator cuff tear repair eliminated sym-pto-matic full thickness rotator cuff tears with significant improvement in functional scores. 2. There were no major complications of the surgical procedure adop-ted or the fixation method used. 3. Mini-open rotator cuff repair remains a useful technique despite advan-ces in arthroscopy.

Operative Management of Distal Tibial Extra-articular Fractures - Intramedullary Nail Versus Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Plate Osteosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: The ideal treatment of distal tibial extra articular fractures remains controversial. Minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis and intramedullary nailing are the two most commonly used methods. We did a prospective randomized controlled study to assess the functional outcome of distal tibial extra articular tibial fractures by comparing these treatment methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty patients with distal tibial extra articular fractures were randomly assigned to an IMN (intramedullary nailing) group and a MIPPO (minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis) group. All patients were followed up for a period of one year. At final follow-up, clinical and radiological outcome was assessed by foot function index. Malunion, infection, implant removal, time to union and secondary interventions were compared between the two groups. The comparison of continuous variables was performed by using the Student t-test or Mann-Whitney U test in accordance with normality testing. A value of p less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for a period of one year. Time to callus formation was equal in both groups. There was no non-union in our series. Malunion was more common in the nailing group. The foot function index was similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: MIPPO and intramedullary nailing are effective treatment options in the management of distal tibial extra particular fractures, with comparable functional outcomes.