Psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment of victims of accidents is based on a concept of comprehensive medical diagnostic and therapy. This integrating approach is aiming at the emotional care for injured people, who already had mental disturbances before the accident or following the trauma. During 11 years as psychiatric and psychotherapeutic consultant at the Accident Hospital Lorenz Böhler in Vienna more than 2000 rounds where done. The necessary interventions during traumatologic treatment of stationary patients are demonstrated in an exemplary way.
So far, psychiatric-psychoanalytic theories have been able to explain the phenomenon "self-injury" only unsatisfactorily. Moreover, the patients do not turn to a psychiatrist in the first place, but to surgeons, dermatologists, gynecologists or general practitioners. This is therefore an interdisciplinary problem. Since general medical knowledge is relatively unhelpful in diagnosing self-inflicted disease and its treatment, these patients often do not receive adequate psychiatric co-management or further care or indeed often get the chance to delegate the act of self-injury to the physician. In view of the sustained tendency for the disorder to chronify, this frequently results in severe, partly irreversible and sometimes iatrogenically co-induced physical impairments. In the final analysis, it also leads to enormous financial burdens for the agencies which bear the costs.
We report about the results of the treatment of patients older than 70 years with posttraumatic tetraplegia. In 7 out of 11 patients treatment in a specialised department lasting for many months makes it possible to live a subjective satisfactory life at home in spite of being severely handicapped. The goals and limits of rehabilitation of patients with posttraumatic tetraplegia cannot only be derived from the age but from the individual capability of the injured patient.
To determine the significance of sonography in evaluating long-term damage of muscle surgically treated for compartment syndrome 27 patients of the Department for Trauma Surgery, University Clinic Essen, Germany, were examined on their anterior lower limb after an average of 98 (43 to 154) months after trauma. They had had a fasciotomy for imminent (n = 15) or manifest (n = 12) compartment syndrome. Comparing the healthy side a qualitative grading (0 to 3) of the changes could be introduced reflecting the extent of the increase in echogenicity and the loss of the typical muscle texture. Gray scale histograms confirmed the qualitative grading. Patients with manifest compartment syndrome showed severe changes (grade 2 and 3). In imminent compartment syndrome 2 patients with grade 2 and 13 patients with grade 0 or 1 were found. The sonographical changes can be explained by the known pathomorphological changes after compartment syndrome (denervation, scarification). Sonography is useful in the evaluation of soft tissue after compartment syndrome. The results underline the demands of early fasciotomy in imminent compartment syndrome for prevention of damage of muscle and nerve.
A case of surgical reconstruction of the lateral tibial plateau after impression fracture (Type 41-B3.1) of an 47-year-old female is presented. Joint reconstruction was performed by using a free patellar graft. The 16-year follow-up shows a very good functional outcome without subjective complaints. This case underlines that performing patellar autografting for surgical reconstruction of severe injury of the tibial plateau seems to be a promising alternative especially considering young patients in spite of avoiding total knee replacement.
In 20 patients with a fracture of femur or tibia 5.2 years after arthroplasty of knee the results of the operative treatment are presented. The results show that especially bone damaging diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and the loosening of the endoprosthesis are favorable for the fracture during the follow-up. The conclusion of the investigation shows that in younger patients the external fixation by plates and screws is the preferential treatment, in elderly people or comminuted fracture an internal fixation, also in combination with an additional osteosynthesis, allows a fast mobilization. The number of observed complications is higher than in primary knee arthroplasty, the full weight bearing 1st delayed. The rate of further operations and unsatisfactory results is also higher being affected by the high mean age of the operated patients (73.4 years). The possible use of a total femur implant must be discussed critically because only an individual production can avoid further damage of the parts of the joint that were not concerned by the fracture.
Light and polarization microscopic appraisal of the pathways of fibers and blood vessels in the region of the rotator cuff shows branches of the suprascapular artery. These initially radiate into the insertion tendon parallel to the muscle fibers. They do not continue there, i.e. the vessel branches have blind endings, or they branch and anastomose with each other. Outliers of the transverse branch of the anterior circumflex artery of the humerus come from lateral (from the direction of the deltoid muscle). They pass from the bony insertion of the supraspinatus tendon into the tendon plate, but only run together with the fibers for a short distance. Consequently, a zone low in vessels or free of vessels can be constantly demonstrated under a magnifying glass in the course of the supraspinatus and to a small extent also of the infraspinatus in the fetus or neonate as well as in the adult in the region of the zone of interweaving of the tendinous muscle outlier with the capsule at length magnification. In the genesis of rotator cuff rupture, the presence of hypovascularity must be considered to be a predisposing factor which is present from birth onwards. It affects the clinical course during the process of aging as the point of least resistance in consequence of arteriosclerosis, collagen degeneration physiological wear and tear friction at the lower surface of the acromion and inflammatory swellings of the subacromial bursa.
Based on the histological findings of 23 patients who had received implants of the bovine hydroxyapatite ceramic Endobon for a period of up to 16 months, the biocompatibility, nature and extent of osseointegration as well as the resorption and degradation behaviour of the ceramic were investigated. The investigation material consisted mainly of small fragments that had been retrieved during revision operations that were indicated for other reasons. The results confirm the good tolerability and suitability that have been systematically investigated in experimental studies and described for hydroxyapatite ceramic as bone substitute in a vital cancellous bone bed that is not exposed to excessive strain (due to its brittle character). The importance of fulfilling certain requirements in order to achieve a successful result, such as stable implantation in a well vascularized, infection-free bone bed also with a minimization of the contact with local connective tissue has been further substantiated. Good success has been achieved by simultaneous loading with autogenous bone marrow as is practised by many ceramic users. In some cases a widening of intergrain boundaries as well as partial dissociation of superficial hydroxyapatite crystallites were observed in the implant surface.