Reconstruction of patella fractures with the tension band technique: A review on clinical results and tips and tricks.

INTRODUCTION: The goals of surgical treatment of patellar fractures are a biomechanically stable joint and congruent restoration of the retro patellar joint surface. Surgical treatment strategies for patellar fractures have evolved from tension band in combination with wire cerclages to new devices. METHODS: The modified anterior tension band (MATB) technique for fixation of patellar fractures consists of two longitudinal 1.8 mm Kirschner wires (K-wires) and an 18-gauge stainless steel wire looped in a figure-of-8 pattern over the anterior aspect of the patella. The K-wires should be inserted 5 mm from the anterior cortical surface of the patella, parallel in the coronal and sagittal planes. For mechanical reasons, the wire should be the closest to the anterior aspect of the bone. This construct converts the anterior tensile forces generated by the extensor mechanism and knee flexion into compressive forces on the anterior aspect of the fracture site. The MATB is the most widely accepted method of internal fixation for transverse and comminuted patellar fractures. Only a careful implementation of the MATB in all its phases will provide the best mechanical construct and the least aggressive construct for the soft tissues, allowing early re-education without complications. RESULTS: Good to excellent clinical results (64-100 %) have been reported with MATB for fixation of patellar fractures. Good to excellent range of knee motion and satisfactory results have been reported despite a high percentage (up to 60 %) of secondary procedures, mainly for removal of symptomatic hardware. CONCLUSION: This article provides an overview of the use and results of the MATB technique for patellar fractures and the means to improve results with this technique.

Pitfalls and limits of locking plates.

The use of locking plates relies on novel mechanical and biological concepts: the bone healing is endochondral because of the elasticity of the constructs. Preoperative planning is required to determine the fracture reduction strategy and select the implants. The type of plate and the type of screws and their position determine the mechanical properties of the construct. Failure of locking plate fixation is a new phenomenon that differs from conventional plate fixation. These are brought on by inadequate planning, which is made worse when minimally invasive surgery is performed. Often, the fracture is not reduced correctly (leading to malunion), the implant length is incorrect, or the screw type, number, location and implantation sequence are inappropriate. Together these can result in an overly rigid construct with poor healing and implant failure or the opposite, an overly flexible construct that can compromise healing. The return to weight bearing after fracture fixation must be adapted to the type of fracture and construct. While locking plates provide better bone purchase, especially in osteoporotic bone, "en bloc" pulling out of the implant is possible. Delayed fractures at the end of the plates are also possible but can be avoided by making the correct biomechanical choices during fixation. For epiphyseal fractures, there are risks of cut-out and impaction of locking screws in cancellous bone related to the fracture pathology. In the long-term, locking plates can be difficult to remove; however, specialized instrumentation can make this easier.

The floating knee: a review on ipsilateral femoral and tibial fractures.

In 1975, Blake and McBryde established the concept of 'floating knee' to describe ipsilateral fractures of the femur and tibia.1 This combination is much more than a bone lesion; the mechanism is usually a high-energy trauma in a patient with multiple injuries and a myriad of other lesions.After initial evaluation patients should be categorised, and only stable patients should undergo immediate reduction and internal fixation with the rest receiving external fixation.Definitive internal fixation of both bones yields the best results in almost all series.Nailing of both bones is the optimal fixation when both fractures (femoral and tibial) are extra-articular.Plates are the 'standard of care' in cases with articular fractures.A combination of implants are required by 40% of floating knees.Associated ligamentous and meniscal lesions are common, but may be irrelevant in the case of an intra-articular fracture which gives the worst prognosis for this type of lesion. Cite this article: Muñoz Vives K, Bel J-C, Capel Agundez A, Chana Rodríguez F, Palomo Traver J, Schultz-Larsen M, Tosounidis, T. The floating knee. EFORT Open Rev 2016;1:375-382. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.1.000042.

Total hip arthroplasty with minimal invasive surgery in elderly patients with neck of femur fractures: our institutional experience.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether minimal invasive surgery (MIS) in elderly patients with neck of femur fractures would reduce the peri-operative complications and improve the post-operative ambulation and length of hospital stay in his cohort of patients. Forty elderly patients were treated with either total hip arthroplasty (THA) or bipolar prosthesis using MIS transgluteal approach. A matched reference group treated with a conventional surgical approach formed the control group. All procedures were performed by the same surgeon. Selection of acetabular component included Novae® uncemented press fit dual mobility concept socket or Bipolar Hemi-Arthroplasty (BHA). The femoral implant was Corail® uncemented stem or Fjord® cemented stem when primary instability was encountered. The follow-up was done for all patients and its minimum length was more than thirty-six months. The average length of the skin incision was 7 (6-8) SD 0.7 cm. Eighteen THA, twenty-two BHA, thirty-seven uncemented femoral stems and three cemented stems were implemented. The length of the procedure was the same as those of the reference group. The operative and post-operative blood loss and analgesic use were significantly decreased in the MIS group. Radiographic implants positioning was similar amongst the two groups. No skin complication, no primary infection, no death within ninety days and no dislocations were observed. MIS approach for implanting THA after a femoral neck fracture in the elderly appears to be a reliable procedure.

[The daily life of patients at the Hôtel-Dieu in Lyon in the nineteenth century]. / La vie quotidienne des patients à l'hôtel-Dieu de Lyon au XIXème siècle.

In 1802 the Hôtel-Dieu in Lyons was incorporated in the so-called Hospices Civils de Lyon. This allowed the expansion and renovation of buildings, as well as the improvement of the conditions of hygiene and comfort of the patients. This hospital was devoted only to the most severely ill or injured adults. 1100 patients were treated by seven doctors, a main surgeon and his deputy, residents and sisters. Broadly speaking the evolution of surgery can be divided into two periods: that of before anesthesia and septic surgery and that of antiseptic and aseptic surgery. We have to mention Gensoul and the resection of the maxillary before anesthesia, Bonnet and Ollier who were devoted to osteo-articular surgery (Ollier's disease), Poncet who built the first aseptic theater, Jaboulay and the resident Carrel who were transplantation's pioneers, Bouveret (paroxysmal tachycardia and Bouveret syndrome), Destot who did the first medical use of X-rays in 1895.