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INTRODUCTION: Smoking is one of the most important preventable causes of cardiovascular diseases. Vascular disease caused by smoking is associated with vascular endothelial damage, platelet aggregation, and adhesion. In our study, we examined the effect of chronic smoking on vessel wall stiffness in smokers and control group by measuring carotid artery wall stiffness by shear wave ultrasonography. METHODS: Sixty-two smokers of similar ages and genders, and 67 people who never smoked in the last ten years were included as the control group in this cross-sectional study. Arterial wall stiffness over the common carotid arteries of all participants was measured by shear wave elastography (SWE). In addition, each patient's blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, body mass index (BMI), HDL and LDL cholesterol measurements were recorded. RESULTS: Arterial wall stiffness values in smokers were found to be statistically significantly higher than in non-smokers. The mean of SWE measurements of the smokers was 47.3 ± 6.2 kPa, and that of the control group was 42.9 ± 4 kPa. The mean values of HDL and LDL of the smokers were 46.9 ± 5.6 mg/dL and 147.3 ± 9.3 mg/dL, respectively, and those of the control group were 50.3 ± 5.1 mg/dL and 136.9 ± 5.9 mg/dL. The LDL cholesterol values were statistically significantly higher in smokers compared to the control group, and HDL cholesterol values were statistically significantly lower in smokers. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the arterial wall stiffness values measured by the SWE technique were higher in smokers than non-smokers.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Literature does not show any studies regarding plate placement problems in the coronal plane of patients with volar plating due to distal radius fracture diagnosis. We aimed to investigate the functional and laboratory results of the coronal malposition of the volar locking plate in patients with distal radius fracture treated with internal fixation. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included patients who had volar plate fixation, were aged between 18 and 80, had no pathological fracture, had a minimum of six months of follow-up, and had the same rehabilitation protocol. We consider the angle subtended on the coronal axis between the distal radius long axis and the distal radius locking plate as coronal malposition. We named the coronal malposition angle the "AYE Angle." Patients with an AYE angle of over 1 degree were evaluated under group 1. Patients with an AYE angle of 0-1 degrees were evaluated under group 2. Radiological parameters were taken from AP-Lateral X-ray views. Superficial University System of Georgia (USG) examinations were applied to detect tendon problems. The DASH and QUICK-DASH scoring systems were used for clinical evaluation. Grip strength was measured with a dynamometer in all patients. All results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were female and 27 patients were male. Nineteen patients who had coronal malposition were added to group 1, while 21 patients who had no coronal malposition were added to group 2. Fifteen patients had normal USG results in group 2, while 18 patients had edema around the flexor pollicis longus (FPL) tendon as a result of USG in group 1. Statistically, a significant difference was detected between the two groups in terms of the amount of tenosynovitis around FPL (p=0.01). A statistically significant relationship was found between USG grading and malposition grading. The study revealed that a higher rate of USG grade 2 was found in patients with malposition grade 2 (90.9%), while a higher rate of USG grade 1 (50%) was observed in patients with malposition grade 1 (p=0.01). A statistically significant difference was not found between Soong grading and USG in terms of the level of tenosynovitis around the FPL tendon. The amount of tenosynovitis detected around the FPL tendon was 62.5% for Soong and grade 0 level, 60.7% for grade 1 level, and 50% for grade 2 level. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the DASH and QUICK-DASH scoring systems (p=0.96). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the grip strength (p=0.52). CONCLUSION: Coronal plate position in the treatment of the distal radius fracture is important to avoid potential flexor tendon problems. The volar plate position should be adjusted properly both in the coronal and sagittal axes.
