Correction method for moderate and severe degrees of hallux valgus associated with transfer metatarsalgia

BACKGROUND Hallux valgus(HV)is a common foot deformity that manifests with increasing age,especially in women.The associated foot pain causes impaired gait and decreases quality of life.Moderate and severe HV is a deformity that is charac-terized by the involvement of lesser rays and requires complex surgical treatment.In this study,we attempted to develop a procedure for this condition.AIM To analyse the treatment results of patients who underwent simultaneous surgical correction of all parts of a static forefoot deformity.METHODS We conducted a prospective clinical trial between 2016 and 2021 in which 30 feet with moderate or severe HV associated with Tailor’s bunion and metatarsalgia were surgically treated via a new method involving surgical correction of all associated problems.This method included a modified Lapidus procedure,M2M3 tarsometatarsal arthrodesis,intermetatarsal fusion of the M4 and M5 bases,and the use of an original external fixation apparatus to enhance correction power.Preoperative,postoperative,and final follow-up radiographic data and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS)scores were compared,and P values<0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance.RESULTS The study included 28 females(93.3%)and 2 males feet(6.7%),20(66.7%)of whom had a moderate degree of HV and 10(33.3%)of whom had severe deformity.M2 and M3 metatarsalgia was observed in 21 feet,and 9 feet experienced pain only at M2.The mean follow-up duration was 11 months.All patients had good correction of the HV angle[preoperative median,36.5 degrees,interquartile range(IQR):30-45;postoperative median,10 degrees,IQR:8.8-10;follow-up median,11.5 degrees,IQR:10-14;P<0.01].At follow-up,metatarsalgia was resolved in most patients(30 vs 5).There was a clinically negligible decrease in the corrected angles at the final follow-up,and the overall AOFAS score was significantly better(median,65 points,IQR:53.8-70;vs 80 points,IQR:75-85;P<0.01).CONCLUSION The developed method showed good sustainability of correction power in a small sample of patients at the one-year follow-up.Randomized clinical trials with larger samples,as well as long-term outcome assessments,are needed in the future.

Management of Traumatic Brain Injuries at the Kara Regional Hospital

Introduction: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major public health problem causing significant morbidity and mortality in young adults. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological, diagnostic, therapeutic, and evolutionary aspects of TBI. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, descriptive study conducted from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 on patients admitted to and treated for cranioencephalic trauma in the General Surgery department of Kara Regional Hospital. Results: Eighty-three (83) patients with cranioencephalic trauma were managed out of 773 patients admitted to the department during the study period. The mean age was 34 ± 14.98 years and the sex ratio was 3.6 in favour of men. Motorbike taxi drivers were the social group most affected (n = 33, 40%). The causes of trauma were dominated by public road accidents (n = 80;96%). TBI was mild (n = 40;48%), moderate (n = 35;42%) and severe (n = 8;10%). Cerebral CT scans were performed in 19 patients (23%). Cerebral contusion (n = 4) was the most frequent cerebral lesion. Six patients (7%) with severe head injuries were transferred to Kara University Hospital. Six deaths (7%) occurred in patients with severe head injuries. The main sequelae were intermittent headaches in all patients reviewed, and memory problems (6%). Conclusion: Traumatic brain injuries are common at Kara Regional Hospital. Severe cranial trauma is less frequent but leads to death because of financial difficulties and limited technical facilities.

Role of joint aspiration before re-implantation in patients with a cement spacer in place

BACKGROUND The usefulness of a mandatory joint aspiration before re-implantation in patients with a cement spacer already in place is unclear.AIM To evaluate the role of culturing synovial fluid obtained by joint aspiration before re-implantation in patients who underwent a two-stage septic revision.METHODS A retrospective observational study was conducted,including patients that underwent a two-stage septic revision(hip or knee)from 2010 to 2017.After the first stage revision and according to intraoperative culture results,all patients were treated with an antibiotic protocol for 6-8 wk.Following 2 wk without antibiotics,a culture of synovial fluid was obtained.The results of these cultures were recorded and compared with cultures obtained during re-implantation surgery.RESULTS Forty-one patients(20 hip and 21 knee spacers)were included in the final analysis.In 39 cases,the culture of synovial fluid was negative,while in the remaining 2 cases(knee spacers)no analysis was possible due to dry tap.In 5 of the patients,two or more intraoperative cultures taken during the re-implantation surgery were positive.CONCLUSION We found no evidence to support mandatory joint aspiration before re-implantation in patients with a cement spacer in place.

Complete fracture of posterior cortex increases the risk of avascular necrosis after osteosynthesis for non-displaced femoral neck fractures in elderly patients

To the Editor:Osteosynthesis is considered as a standard management for the non-displaced femoral neck fracture in elderly patients,^([1])but some of the patients would suffer from avascular necrosis or non-union after osteosynthesis.It has been demonstrated that the outcome of the salvage procedure after primary avascular necrosis is not reliable.^([2])Therefore,the preoperative detection of the risk factors should be of great significance.The Garden classification system has been the most commonly used to distinguish the severity of femoral neck fracture,but it is mainly focused on the displacement in the coronal plane.Since the integrity of posterior cortex has been demonstrated as an important role in the outcomes of displaced femoral neck fractures,^([3])it is reasonable to investigate the effect of posterior cortex on the non-displaced pattern.Recently,we compared the outcomes after osteosynthesis for nondisplaced femoral neck fractures with and without posterior cortex complete fracture.

Long-term outcome of operative management of delayed acetabular fractures

Background Surgical treatment of acetabular fracture has long been a challenging area in the field of orthopedic trauma. The aim of this research was to investigate the operative methods for delayed acetabular fractures and to assess the operation results. Methods The operative approaches, procedures, results, and complications of the delayed acetabular fractures between 1995 and 2005 were retrospectively evaluated at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital. Quality of life was assessed for each patient with the Merle d＇Aubingne and Postel fracture function rating scale and the radiological result was assessed using the Matta radiotogical score. Results Sixty-eight cases （70 hips） were followed up with a minimal duration of five years （average of 5.8 years）. Excellent functional results were observed in 10 hip joints, good results in 40, fair results in 11, and poor results in nine. The risks of poor prognosis include impact fracture or osteochondral fracture of femoral head, a time beyond 42 days from injury to operative management, and dislocation of femoral head during the injury. Some of the problems, which were observed included postoperative infection in two hips, iatrogenic sciatic nerve injury in eight hips, traumatic arthritis in 15 hips, heterotopic ossification in 17 hips, and necrosis of the femoral head in six hips. Conclusion A careful selection of operative indications for delayed acetabular fractures in combination with a proper operative approach and appropriate reduction and fixation could guarantee relatively good results.

Impact of diabetes on the prognosis of hip fracture： a cohort study in the Chinese population

Background Diabetes has been associated with increased risk of fracture and impaired fracture healing. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of diabetes on perioperative complications, length of stay and ambulatory ability recovery in individuals with hip fracture, and to determine whether changes could be made to improve treatment outcome. Methods The study included 707 hip fracture patients treated at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital between July 2009 and December 2010. The medical history and perioperative complications were compared between non-diabetic and diabetic groups. Length of stay, days awaiting surgery, and days of hospitalization after surgery were also analyzed. Ambulatory ability was compared at 1-year follow-up using the Chi-square test and Fisher＇s exact test. An independent Student＇s t-test was used to compare normally distributed continuous data. Results Patients with diabetes were more likely than non-diabetic patients to develop cardiac perioperative complications （8.9% vs. 3.0%, P=0.021）, urinary tract infections （12.0% vs. 2.8%, P 〈0.001）, and gastrointestinal symptoms （15.0% vs. 6.8%, P=0.003）. No difference in perioperative complications was observed between the groups. Days awaiting surgery and length of hospital stay were both longer in the diabetic group （（8.0＋5.1） vs. （6.2＋3.7） days and （16.5＋3.8） vs. （13.3＋3.8） days, P 〈0.001, respectively）. Before the occurrence of fracture, patients with diabetes were less likely to be ambulatory outdoors （71.9% vs. 85.9%, P 〈0.001） and had more restricted walking ability. After at least 1-year follow-up, similar proportions of patients in the non-diabetic and diabetic groups （16.1% and 15.9%, respectively）, who were able to ambulate outdoors before the fracture, became housebound till the final follow-up. Conclusions Diabetics are at increased risk of specific complications and have a longer time to surgery and longer in-hospital stay, but generally have similar recovery to non-diabetics thereafter.