Transporte óseo en defecto óseo femoral. A propósito de un caso / Bone Transport for bone reconstruction. A case report

Objetivo: El transporte óseo es una técnica terapéutica que crea hueso en situaciones en las que la pérdida del mismo hace inviable la consolidación de los extremos. Esta técnica se basa en el concepto de osteogénesis en distracción. Material y método: Presentamos el caso de un varón de 31 años, que tras sufrir una fractura del tercio medio del fémur derecho, no se obtuvo la consolidación debido a la infección del foco tras varios intentos de osteosíntesis. Presentaba una pérdida de hueso severa con mal estado general. Resultados: Tras un tratamiento previo fallido, de unos dos años, se limpió el foco y, con la técnica de transporte óseo, se restauró la longitud inicial del hueso consolidándolo finalmente sin secuelas relevantes. Conclusión: El caso demuestra la validez de este método de transporte óseo para restaurar la longitud ósea en caso de grandes defectos diafisarios (AU)

Objetive: Bone transport is a therapeutic technique that generates bone in situations where bone loss makes consolidation of the extremities non-viable. This technique is based on the concept of distraction osteogenesis. Material and method: Following fracture of the middle third of the right femur in a 31-year-old male, consolidation was not achieved, due to focus infection after several osteosynthesis attempts. The patient presented severe bone loss with a poor general condition. Results: Following the previous failed treatment lasting about two years, the affected zone was cleaned, and the bone transport technique was used to restore the original length of the bone, which was finally consolidated without relevant sequelae. Conclusion: This case shows the validity of the bone transport technique in restoring bone length in the case of large diaphyseal defects (AU)

Effect of vitamin C on fracture healing in elderly Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi rats.

We studied the effect of vitamin C on fracture healing in the elderly. A total of 80 elderly Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi rats were divided into four groups with different rates of vitamin C intake. A closed bilateral fracture was made in the middle third of the femur of each rat. Five weeks after fracture the femora were analysed by mechanical and histological testing. The groups with the lower vitamin C intake demonstrated a lower mechanical resistance of the healing callus and a lower histological grade. The vitamin C levels in blood during healing correlated with the torque resistance of the callus formed (r = 0.525). Therefore, the supplementary vitamin C improved the mechanical resistance of the fracture callus in elderly rats. If these results are similar in humans, vitamin C supplementation should be recommended during fracture healing in the elderly.

Dietary fat intake and the risk of osteoporotic fractures in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between fat intake, serum lipids and the risk of osteoporotic fractures in the elderly. DESIGN: A hospital-based case-control study. SETTING: The study was conducted at a tertiary centre and referral hospital for the province of Jaén (Spain). SUBJECTS: Cases (n=167) were patients aged 65 years or more with a low-energy fracture selected from the population attended at the hospital. Controls (patients without antecedents of any fracture) were 1:1 matched to cases by sex and age (n=167). METHODS: Diet was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Serum total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were also measured. RESULTS: Participants in the two upper quartiles of polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) intake showed an increased risk of fracture, with statistically significant differences with respect to the first quartile in the adjusted model (odds ratio (OR)=3.59; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.06-12.1 and OR=5.88; 95% CI=1.38-25.02); P=0.01 for the trend test). A higher ratio of monounsaturated fat (MUFA) to PUFA was associated with a reduced risk of fracture (OR=0.20; 95% CI=0.07-0.60 for the fourth quartile; P=0.002 for the trend test). The intake of omega-6 fatty acids was associated with an elevated risk of fracture (OR=3.41; 95% CI=1.05-11.15 for the fourth quartile; P=0.01 for the trend test). HDL-cholesterol levels were inversely associated with the risk of fracture (test for trend P=0.03 across quartiles). CONCLUSIONS: PUFA intake was associated with an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures in the elderly, whereas a high ratio of MUFA:PUFA was associated with decreased risk.

Effect of 25-OH-vitamin D on fracture healing in elderly rats.

To investigate the effect of 25-OH-vitamin D supplements (calcidiol) on fracture healing in the elderly, an experimental model with 15 18-month-old female Wistar rats was designed. An experimental fracture in the middle third of both femora of each rat was made. Then the rats were randomly assigned to two groups: one group was subcutaneously treated with 25-OH-vitamin D during all healing processes, and the other group (the control group) was not. After 5 weeks of healing, the animals were killed and both femora were extracted. Blood samples were collected before fracture and at death to determine the levels of 25-OH-vitamin D. All bones that were extracted were subjected to a torsion test to assess healing; a significantly greater maximum shear force before failure was supported in the treated group (p < 0.01). Moreover, a positive correlation (p < 0.01; r=0.55) was found between blood levels of 25-OH-vitamin D at death and the mechanical strength of the callus. Thus, the administration of 25-OH-vitamin D after the experimental fracture significantly improved the mechanical strength of the fractured bone. If similar results are found in the human, then treatment with 25-OH-vitamin D after the occurrence of a fracture would be a good way to improve fracture healing in the elderly.