Mosaicplasty of the Femoral Head: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Current Literature.

Osteochondral lesions of the femoral head are rare. For the treatment of these lesions, various joint-preserving procedures, particularly in young, active patients, have been developed. Mosaicplasty is a well-established surgical procedure for the knee. However, there is little evidence that this method can also be used to treat osteochondral lesions in the hip. The indication for cartilage procedures continues to evolve for the knee, and a similar strategy may be adopted for the hip joint. Due to limited evidence and a lack of experience, mosaicplasty treatment of these lesions remains challenging, especially in young patients. This study shows that open and arthroscopic management using the knee and femoral head as donor sites yielded good to excellent short- to mid-term outcomes. For osteochondral lesions of the femoral head, mosaicplasty may be a new alternative treatment option, although this needs to be proven with longer follow-ups and in a larger sample of patients.

Traumatic Bilateral Brachial Plexus Injury.

Traumatic brachial plexus injuries are serious, life-changing injuries that are becoming more common worldwide. A thorough physical examination, as well as radiologic and electrodiagnostic tests, are all part of the initial evaluation. Parameters such as injury patterns, the timing of intervention, patients' expectations, and pre-injury functional level should always be considered. A bilateral brachial plexus injury is a very uncommon occurrence. To our knowledge, only one case of a bilateral brachial plexus injury associated with trauma has been published in recent literature. We present a rare case of a 19-year-old man who sustained a bilateral brachial plexus injury after a motorbike accident. The patient underwent exploration of the left brachial plexus and a modified Oberlin procedure on his left arm. The right plexus injury was managed conservatively. After a follow-up period of 12 months, the patient completely returned to his previous functional level.

Characteristics and diagnostic workup of the patient at risk to sustain fragility fracture.

The human body undergoes several physiological adaptations as a result of the aging process. Amongst other organs, the skeleton is also affected and when bone fragility is present, an increase in both morbidity and mortality has been reported. Identification of risk factors to calculate the probability for a given patient to develop a fragility fracture it is therefore of paramount importance. Moreover, the existence of an in house protocol for diagnostic work up using biochemical tests and imaging investigations is essential. In the herein study we discuss a diagnostic protocol that has been developed in our clinic based on knowledge from the literature and our clinical experience.