Functional and radiological outcomes of operative management of displaced talar neck fractures.

AIM: To evaluate functional and radiological results of internal fixation of displaced talar neck fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with displaced talar neck fractures who underwent surgery and fixation by cancellous screws were evaluated. Patients were evaluated by American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society score which is based on pain (40 points), function (50 points) and alignment (10 points) with excellent (90-100 points), good (75-89 points), fair (60-74 points) and poor scores (<60 points) and radiographically for assessment of union, osteonecrosis and osteoarthritic changes in the subtalar and ankle joint. RESULTS: Among the 20 cases, 13 cases had closed injuries and 7 had open fractures. The most common etiology of injury was road traffic accidents. The average follow up time was 28 months. Osteonecrosis was evident on follow up X-rays in 7 cases of which 2 progressed to talar dome collapse. Post traumatic arthritis was observed in 11 cases. Based on American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society scores, excellent result was obtained in 4 cases, good 7 cases, fair 5 cases and poor 4 cases. CONCLUSION: Talar neck fractures are associated with high rates of morbidity and complications. Post traumatic arthritis is more common complication than osteonecrosis following surgery.

In vivo morphometry of menisci of the knee in South Indians: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Since the in vivo morphometric data on the menisci of the knee joint of Indian subjects are scarce, we hereby studied the width and thickness of the menisci using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to establish standard dimensions of the normal medial and lateral meniscus as an aid to orthopaedic surgery. METHODS: Eighty menisci from 40 knee joints were analysed in each of three regions, the anterior horn, the mid body and the posterior horn. The thickness and width of the menisci were measured in sagittal and coronal T1-weighted and T2-weighted MRI images and analysed statistically. RESULTS: The mean thickness of medial meniscus at the anterior horn, mid body, and posterior horn were 6.3 ± 1.1 mm, 5.2 ± 1.3 mm, and 6.9 ± 1.1 mm, respectively. The respective values for the lateral meniscus were 4.8 ± 0.7 mm, 6.4 ± 1.1 mm, and 7.0 ± 0.9 mm. The mean width of medial meniscus at the anterior horn, mid body, and posterior horn were 10.5 ± 1.2 mm, 7.8 ± 1 mm and 13.9 ± 0.9 mm, respectively. The widths of lateral meniscus at the same regions were 11.8 ± 1.4 mm, 8.6 ± 1.2 mm, and 12.0 ± 0.9 mm, respectively. The lateral meniscus was significantly wider than medial at the anterior horn and mid body (p = 0.00). In contrast, the posterior horn of medial meniscus was significantly wider than lateral meniscus. Both menisci were significantly wider at their posterior horn, followed by the anterior horn and were significantly narrower at their mid body. CONCLUSION: The present study provides new information on the meniscal thickness and width in South Indians that can be used in planning of orthopaedic and arthroscopic surgeries of the knee joint. However, the study needs to be analyzed with a large sample size for the better interpretation.

Ring meniscus mistaken for incomplete discoid meniscus: a case report and review of literature.

Ring meniscus is a known but rare abnormal variant of a meniscus. An incomplete discoid meniscus or an old bucket handle tear of a meniscus can be easily mistaken for a ring meniscus. In this case; during the first arthroscopy, the ring lateral meniscus was mistaken for an incomplete discoid lateral meniscus. On repeat arthroscopy, it was confirmed as ring lateral meniscus.