[Therapy for obesity--conservative and/or surgical?]. / Adipositastherapie--konservativ und/oder chirurgisch?

On comparing surgical and conservative approaches in therapy for obesity it is accepted that there is a more rapid decline in body weight after surgery than by conservative measures. In contrast to widespread convictions, it has been shown that even in extreme obesity (BMI>60 kg/m²) both a meaningful and a long-lasting reduction of body weight is possible by conservative approach. There is an increasing body of evidence that bariatric surgery, especially malabsorptive and combined forms, causes endocrine disturbances and both vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies. Furthermore, alterations in drug pharmacokinetics are possible. Even bariatric surgeons have stated that surgery neither removes the chronic disease obesity nor is its final therapy.

[Proposal for the classification of the periprosthetic membrane from loosened hip and knee endoprostheses]. / Vorschlag für eine Konsensus-Klassifikation der periprothetischen Membran gelockerter Hüft- und Knieendoprothesen.

After 10 years, loosening of total joint endoprostheses occurs in about 3 to 10 percent of all patients, requiring elaborate revision surgery. A periprosthetic membrane is routinely found between bone and loosened prosthesis. Further histomorphological examination allows determination of the etiology of the loosening process. Aim of this study is the introduction of clearly defined histopathological criteria for a standardized evaluation of the periprosthetic membrane. Based on histomorphological criteria and polarized light microscopy, four types of the periprosthetic membrane were defined: periprosthetic membrane of wear particle type (type I), periprosthetic membrane of infectious type (type II), periprosthetic membrane of combined type (type III), periprosthetic membrane of indifferent type (type IV). Periprosthetic membranes of 268 patients were analyzed according to the defined criteria. The correlation between histopathological and microbiological diagnosis was high (89%, p<0,001), the inter-observer reproducibility was sufficient (95%). This classification system enables a standardized diagnostic procedure and therefore is a basis for further studies concerning the etiology of and pathogenesis of prosthesis loosening.