Tibial intercondylar eminence fractures in children: The long-term perspective.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To analyze objective and subjective results on medium-term follow-up of intercondylar fractures of the tibia in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective, single-center study of 32 fractures (17 boys, 14 girls) was performed. Fractures were itemized on the Meyers and McKeever classification as modified by Zaricznyj: there were eight type-I, 17 type-II, five type-III and two type-IV fractures. Treatment was conservative for type-I and II fractures (with mild displacement) and for the others surgical. Seven patients were lost to follow-up and one had insufficient follow-up for inclusion. Thirteen patients were assessed on a KT 1000 arthrometer and a dynamometer, and on the IKDC and ARPEGE scoring systems. Ten patients chose to answer only the subjective IKDC questionnaire, by mail. RESULTS: The mean IKDC score of subjects answering by mail was 91 and of those with clinical examination was 80. Mean ARPEGE score was 8.3. Subjective IKDC score classified four patients as A, four as B, four as C and one as D. Mean difference in tibial anterior translation between affected and unaffected knees was 0.88mm for type I fractures, 0.82mm for type II and 0.30mm for types III and IV together. DISCUSSION: The mean difference in tibial anterior translation between affected and unaffected knees was greater in patients with conservative treatment (0.96mm for conservative vs. 0.29mm for surgical treatment). Seventy per cent of patients reported pain at follow-up. Only two had pathological knee laxity. Twelve out of thirteen had returned to sport activity, half of them at the same level as before injury. CONCLUSION: The cases treated surgically had a better objective result than those treated conservatively. Nevertheless there was no correlation between subjective evaluation and degree of knee laxity. Overall, intercondylar fractures of the tibial eminence in children have good long-term prognosis, at least subjectively. This study shows that, in spite of a very satisfactory subjective result for most patients, results were not so good on objective measures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV: retrospective study.

The often-missed Kocher-Lorenz elbow fracture.

The authors report a case of an undiagnosed Kocher-Lorenz fracture in a 12-year-old adolescent. The Kocher-Lorenz type fracture involves a superficial osteochondral shell of the capitellum with little underlying bone. Three years after trauma, the patient still complained of throbbing and occasional elbow pain. Radiographic examination revealed a large intra-articular bone fragment mimicking the shape of a "second radial head", between the lateral condyle's ossification center and the radial head. Surgical treatment by fragment excision was performed. Eight years postoperatively, the patient had fully recovered with complete relief of pain. The patient demonstrated full range of motion in all planes. The authors offer a review of the literature on this rare fracture which diagnosis is often delayed.

[Proximal femoral resection in nonambulatory multiply handicapped child]. / Résection fémorale supérieure chez l'enfant polyhandicapé grabataire.

INTRODUCTION: Hip dislocation in nonambulatory multiply handicapped children (particularly in cerebral palsy [CP]) is a common and severe problem involving painful transportation and uneasy positioning, usually resulting from major anatomical osteoarticular and soft tissue disorders. Therefore, proximal femoral resection is seen as a salvage procedure whose primary purpose is to provide children and their caregivers with better comfort during activities of daily living thus allowing improved sitting tolerance in the wheelchair and painless nursing care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of 21 proximal femoral resections performed on 16 patients with a mean age at surgery of 12 years, and a follow-up period of 21 years (from 1984 to 2005) were retrospectively reviewed. All patients suffered from painful dislocation of the hip. Sixteen of the hips (76%) had been managed previously with bony and soft tissue surgery. Femoral resection was performed in the basicervical region in eight hips and distal to the lesser trochanter in 13 hips. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of five years and eight months, 18 of the 21 painful hips reported to be painless (86%). All preoperative stiffness and deformity of the hip joints was corrected, resulting in floppy, mobile hips with an increased range of motion after surgery. Femoral stump, regarding the acetabulum was above in three hips, at the same level in 18 and never below. The proximal end of the femoral shaft could often been palpated but did not reveal any skin irritation. The formation of heterotopic bone was discernible in five hips (24%). However, it did not affect the functional outcomes. DISCUSSION: Soft-tissue releases combined with femoral and pelvic osteotomies have reported poor results with regard to their long-term inefficacy in children. The outcomes of our series support these findings, since surgical procedures had been performed previously in 76% of the hips. Therefore, we believe that proximal femoral resection is a promising and reliable surgical treatment option to address such failures, in case of severe and painful deformities of the hip. The success of our series corroborates Widemann, Mc Carthy and Abu-Rajab encouraging results on proximal femoral resection. Postoperatively, we advise placement of a hip spica cast immobilization with a soft cotton lining to prevent pressure sores from developing. This surgical procedure seems to be an appropriate management in nonambulatory multiply handicapped children reporting more promising results than other surgical treatment options such as rotational osteotomy, arthrodesis or even arthroplasty.

[Aneurysmal bone cyst in 2006]. / Le kyste osseux anévrismal primitif: quoi de neuf en 2006?

The etiology of aneurysmal bone cyst is probably multifactorial. Recent progress in genetics and immunohistochemistry tends to prove that aneurysmal bone cyst is tumor and not a pseudo-tumor. Involvement of chromosomes 17p11-13 or 16q22 has been described. MRI is indispensable. Signs highly suggestive of aneurysmal bone cyst are: well-limited expansive bone lesion, low intensity T1 signal associated with high intensity T2 signal (liquid component), a low intensity peripheral line with enhancement after contrast injection, septal partitioning and fluid levels. Gadolinium injection is informative since it demonstrates the thick regular septal partitioning and the amorphous contents (lack of contrast uptake), a structure which is not seen in any other tumors, particularly malignant tumors. Plain x-ray and MRI contribute well to diagnosis but histological confirmation is always required. The debate on Ethibloc(R) remains open. For certain authors, this technique is an effective safe treatment which can be proposed as a first-line option. Ethibloc(R) should however be reserved for specialized teams because of the serious complications reported in the literature. A new treatment has also been reported to be promising, but further results will be required for confirmation. With this technique demineralized allogenic bone particles associated with autologous bone marrow are implanted in the cyst to achieve an osteogenic effect. This induces the cyst to pass from the destructive resorption phase to the repairing osteogenic phase. Curettage is not necessary. This method, which avoids extensive surgery and blood loss, is well adapted to difficult localizations such as the pelvis.

[Mac Farland fractures: a retrospective study of 26 cases]. / Les fractures de Mac Farland: étude rétrospective d'une série de 26 cas.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: MacFarland fractures are known to have poor prognosis. There is a major risk of misalignment due to the formation of an epiphysiodesis bridge. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional and radiological outcome of these fractures in a retrospective series of patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed retrospectively the cases of 26 patients (14 boys and 12 girls), mean age 11 years 6 months (range 7-15) with MacFarland fractures. The Salter and Harris classification was Salter III (n = 17) and Salter IV (n = 9). Surgery was used for 21 patients and cast immobilization for five. Mean follow-up was 28.4 months (19-63 months). None of the children were lost to follow-up. Outcome was noted good (no stiffness, no pain, no limp, no misalignment, no surgical complication, no healing problem), fair (stiffness and/or pain and/or limp and/or healing problem without misalignment, no surgical complication), or poor (misalignment or surgical complication). RESULTS: The three-months postoperative assessment showed three patients with ankle pain, five with stiff ankles, one with a medial problem (snapping) and two with wound healing complications. The long-term outcome was considered good for 24 patients and fair in two (one wound adherence and one hypertrophic scar tissue). There were no poor outcomes. DISCUSSION: We used surgery more than is generally reported by other teams, opting for surgery when the displacement was 1 mm rather than the 2 mm used by others. Surgical treatment was arthrotomy in all cases to achieve anatomic reduction under direct view, followed by osteosynthesis. For some, this therapeutic scheme may be considered too surgical. In order to achieve anatomic reduction, we use an epiphyseal lag screw for cancellous bone to achieve better compression of the fracture line. A washer is also used to improve compression and maintain perfect reduction. Theoretically, the washer could raise the risk of perichondral virola and consequently an iatrogenic epiphysiodesis bridge, but we have not had any problems in our experience. Arthrotomy did not lead to ankle stiffness, which is feared by some, in any of our patients.

[Spinal bone tumors in children]. / Les tumeurs osseuses rachidiennes chez l'enfant et l'adolescent.

The occurrence of back pain in children and adolescents varies from 30 to 51% in the literature. Bone tumors can be responsible for back pain. This paper presents the more common spinal bone tumors in children and adolescents, and specifies their etiology, their natural history, and their treatment as well.

Extra-articular subtalar arthrodesis. A long-term follow-up in patients with cerebral palsy.

Of 23 children (35 feet) with cerebral palsy who had undergone a Grice extra-articular subtalar arthrodesis for a valgus hindfoot between 1976 and 1981, we reviewed 17 (26 feet), at a mean of 20 years (17 years 3 months to 22 years 4 months) after operation. Seven were quadriplegic, eight spastic diplegic, and two hemiplegic. They were all able to walk at the time of operation. Thirteen patients (20 feet) were pleased with the Grice procedure, 13 had no pain and 15 (23 feet) were still able to walk. The clinical results were satisfactory for most feet. Radiography showed that the results had been maintained over time but 14 feet developed a mean ankle valgus of 11 degrees (6 to 18) with a compensatory hindfoot varus in 12 feet. No deformity of the talus or arthritis of adjacent joints was noted. The Grice procedure gives good long-term results in children with cerebral palsy.

[Backpack and spinal disease: myth or reality?]. / Cartable et pathologie rachidienne. Légende ou réalité?

Back pain has become a real public health concern both for adults and children. In general, patients complain of moderate pain. While the topic was long ignored by the scientific community, the number of publications has increased over the last three Years. We reviewed the literature to separate real evidence from speculations. Recognized risk factors for spinal pain are: female gender, poor general status, family history of back pain, particular psychological patterns, time spent sitting watching television, history of spinal trauma, intense physical activity, practicing competition sports, and age (more frequent in adolescents than children). Several recent papers have drawn attention to the role of the weight of the school backpack in children, particularly when its weight exceeds 20% of the child's body weight. Many children carry heavy backpacks which for some may weigh 30% to 40% of their body weight. Several groups have estimated that the maximum should be 10% of the body weight. It appears that time spent carrying the backpack as well as its weight is an important factor favoring back pain. Backpacks can injury the head or face, as well as the hands, the elbow, the wrist, the shoulder, the foot and the ankle. Back trauma is observed as the sixth most common injury. The 'weak point' is the shoulder and not the back. A poorly positioned backpack can modify posture and gait. Carrying the backpack with two shoulder straps affects posture and gait less than carrying it on one shoulder. The posture of the spine changes when the weight of the backpack increases. This is probably one of the reasons why many parents who consult believe that there is a relationship between the weight of the backpack and scoliosis or kyphosis, observed in many of their children. It is proven that adolescents who suffer from back pain will probably have chronic back pain as adults, but there is not evidence to our knowledge demonstrating a relationship between the development of spinal deviation and the weight of the backpack. Recent studies have been conducted to design backpacks allowing a better weight distribution and comfort. This type of backpack appears to have a limited benefit. Furthermore, the question of mode must not be ignored for children and adolescents. Backpacks with one sack in front and one in back certainly provide better weight distribution but are they acceptable for children and adolescents?