The 8-plate versus physeal stapling for temporary hemiepiphyseodesis correcting genu valgum and genu varum: a retrospective analysis of thirty five patients.

PURPOSE: In skeletally immature patients, treatment of malalignment about the knee is possible by performing temporary hemi-epiphyseodesis. Following the well-established procedure of physeal stapling, the 8-plate was introduced as a new device. The purpose of this study was to compare physeal stapling with 8-plate hemi-epiphyseodesis. We focused on evaluating deformity correction, complication rate and duration of the procedures. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 35 patients (61 extremities, age 2.9-16.0 years) who were treated by temporary hemi-epiphyseodesis about the knee for correction of genu varum or genu valgum by using Blount staples (32 extremities) or the 8-plate (29 extremities). Plain radiographs were analysed at the time of operation and at hardware removal that included measurement of mechanical axis deviation, mechanical lateral distal femoral angle and mechanical medial proximal tibial angle. Time until hardware removal, operation time and complications were recorded. RESULTS: A statistically significant improvement of all radiographic measurements could be achieved with comparable results in both groups. Complications were similar in both groups with no relevant differences in amount and severity. In the 8-plate group, however, the surgical time was significantly shorter by an average of ten minutes for implantation and 12 minutes for explantation. CONCLUSIONS: Both Blount stapling and the 8-plate technique are methods for correction of genu varum and valgum deformity in skeletally immature patients; however, a shorter operating time for implantation and explantation was noted for the 8-plate technique.

Correlation of functional outcome and X-ray findings after Perthes disease.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional impairments during gait after Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (LCPD) and to correlate these data with the clinical and radiographic outcome. METHODS: In 13 individuals with LCPD in recovery or final stage (mean age 9.5 ± 3.5 years) with unilateral hip involvement the clinical result was graded according to Tönnis and the radiographic outcome according to Heyman and Herndon; the functional impairment during gait was compared to a group of healthy children (n = 30, mean age 8.1 ± 1.2 years). All children underwent computerised three-dimensional gait analysis. RESULTS: The standard physical examination resulted in 69.2% normal range of movement according to Tönnis, but overall analysis of gait revealed that only 30.7% had a normal gait pattern. All children with an excellent or good radiographic (n = 6) outcome walked normally or showed minor deviations. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the standard clinical examination do not reflect the function of the hip joint during gait. Additional information is revealed from gait analysis and should be part of outcome studies in LCPD.

Efficiency of iloprost treatment for chemotherapy-associated osteonecrosis after childhood cancer.

BACKGROUND: The risk of developing avascular osteonecrosis (AVN) after chemotherapy is age related and, at up to 17% of all treated patients, relatively high. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a prospective study, 8 patients (4 male, 4 female, 14.3+/-4.9 years old) were treated for symptomatic chemotherapy-associated AVN with intravenous infusion of iloprost. Association Research Circulation Osseus (ARCO) stages I-IV in 37 bones (25 joints) were treated. RESULTS: Follow-up was 20.8+/-17 months (range: 6-53 months). No serious adverse reactions due to the infusion with iloprost were recorded. Pain levels were lower and functional outcome measured as Harris Hip and Knee Society Scores improved by the latest follow up. CONCLUSION: Our current data confirm the findings of other investigators that healing of advanced stages of AVN is not possible, but that in early stages of AVN, pain relief and an improvement of joint function can be achieved by iloprost.

Bone marrow concentrate: a novel strategy for bone defect treatment.

BACKGROUND: Although strong efforts have been made over the last decade to introduce stem cell and tissue engineering treatment strategies to the field of orthopaedics, only few clinical applications are currently available. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical outcomes of ten patients with volumetric bone deficiencies treated with mesenchymal stem cells and bone marrow aspirate are presented in this case series. Results were evaluated with radiographs. In addition to the in vivo data, we also presented in vitro data of BMC cultivated onto a porous collagen I scaffold and the technique of bone marrow aspiration via a commercially available system. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that there is a rationale for a clinical application of BMC / bone aspirate in the treatment of osseous defects. The intraoperative harvest procedure is a safe method and does not significantly prolong the time of surgery. In addition, MSC isolated from the aspirate was able to adhere and proliferate onto a collagen scaffold in significant numbers after a 15 min incubation period. These cells were then able to allow osteogenic differentiation in vitro without any osteogenic stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: The local application of BMC / bone aspirate in the treatment of bone deficiencies may be a promising alternative to autogenous bone grafting and help reduce donor site morbidity.

Class III alleles at the insulin VNTR polymorphism are associated with regulatory T-cell responses to proinsulin epitopes in HLA-DR4, DQ8 individuals.

A variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism upstream of the insulin promoter is strongly associated with type 1 diabetes. The short class I alleles are predisposing and the long class III alleles are protective. As a possible mechanism for this effect, we previously reported a two- to threefold higher insulin transcription from class III than from class I chromosomes in thymus where insulin is expressed at low levels, presumably for the purpose of self-tolerance. In this article, we confirm this finding with independent methodology and report studies testing the hypothesis that class III alleles are associated with T-cell tolerance to (pro)insulin. Cytokine release in vitro after stimulation with 21 overlapping preproinsulin epitopes was assessed in blood mononuclear cells as well as naive and memory CD4+ T-cell subsets from 33 individuals with the high-risk DRB1*04, DQ8 haplotype (12 type 1 diabetic patients, 11 healthy control subjects, and 10 autoantibody-positive subjects). No significant differences between genotypes (24 I/I subjects versus 10 I/III or III/III subjects) were observed for gamma-interferon, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or interleukin (IL)-4. By contrast, the I/III + III/III group showed a significant threefold higher IL-10 release in memory T-cells for whole proinsulin and the immunodominant region. Given that IL-10 is a marker of regulatory function, our data are consistent with the hypothesis that higher insulin levels in the thymus promote the formation of regulatory T-cells, a proposed explanation for the protective effect of the class III alleles.