Excimer laser technology in percutaneous coronary interventions: Cardiovascular laser society's position paper.

Excimer Laser Coronary Atherectomy (ELCA) is a well-established therapy that emerged for the treatment of peripheral vascular atherosclerosis in the late 1980s, at a time when catheters and materials were rudimentary and associated with the most serious complications. Refinements in catheter technology and the introduction of improved laser techniques have led to their effective use for the treatment of a wide spectrum of complex coronary lesions, such as thrombotic lesions, severe calcific lesions, non-crossable or non-expandable lesions, chronic occlusions, and stent under-expansion. The gradual introduction of high-energy strategies combined with the contrast infusion technique has enabled us to treat an increasing number of complex cases with a low rate of periprocedural complications. Currently, the use of the ELCA has also been demonstrated to be effective in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), especially in the context of large thrombotic lesions.

Innovative techniques for the osteosynthesis of distal humeral fractures.

Adequate restoration of the mechanical alignment, anatomic reduction of the articular surface, and stable fixation allowing early motion of the elbow joint are the primary goals in the treatment of distal humeral fractures. The purpose of our study is the comparison of the effectiveness between distal humeral locking compression plates (LCP) and conventional reconstruction and one third tubular plates. Between January 2008 and January 2009, 11 consecutive patients (4 men and 7 women) with distal humeral fractures were treated with plates in our hospital; eight patients were treated with LCP distal humeral plates and three cases were fixed with a combination of 1/3 tubular plates and reconstruction plates. They were all followed up for 12 months using the functional score of Cassebaum and radiologically with standard X-rays. Good to excellent results were obtained in 6/11 patients with a mean range of motion of 115°. At this small cohort of patients no significant differences between the two fixation methods was identified regarding clinical outcome, complications and function of the affected limb.

[Postoperative treatment of medial meniscectomy with an elastic bandage of the Van Unen type]. / Il trattamento post-operatorio delle meniscectomie mediali con bendaggio elastico tipo Van Unen.

On the basis of a clinical review of a consecutive series of 27 medial meniscectomies of the knee, the authors report the results obtained by the systematic use of the Van Unen elastic bandage ii the post-operative period. The use of this technique would appear to be advantageous both as a means of speeding up functional recovery of the joint operated on and as a means of preventing complications of an arthrosynovitic type which are often secondary to early rehabilitation treatments.

[Bloodless treatment of fractures of the clavicle using O-shaped soft bandages]. / Il trattamento incruento delle fratture di clavicola con bendaggio soffice ad O (BSO).

The authors, on the basis of the clinico-radiographic revieping of 45 patients suffering from clavicle fracture and treated through "O"-shaped soft bandage, state the results obtained: they particularly point out the advantages of such method in the fractures of clavicle 3rd medium, with single rima in patients aged between 10 and 70.