Acta Ortopedica Brasileira最新文献

We observe delayed referrals to appropriate Microsurgery Unit and definitive treatment of traumatic limb amputations. Cases with wrist proximal amputations have a deadline for surgical replantation as these configure life-threatening injuries.

Objective: To analyze patients with traumatic proximal wrist upper limb amputations with prolonged ischemic time who underwent temporary artery catheterization to assess stump viability and results.

Methods: A case-series study including all patients with a proximal wrist upper limb amputation and a cold ischemic time equal to or above six hours from 2017 to 2021.

Results: In total, two surgeons operated eight patients who had experienced forearm amputation injuries. Median ischemia time totaled eight hours. All patients required additional surgeries, most commonly split-thickness skin graft or fixation revision (three patients). This study obtained five successful macroreimplantations. The mean cold ischemia time was longer in the group with successful macroreimplantations (7.4 hours) than of the unsuccessful group (9 hours).

Conclusion: Macroreplantations require immediate referral to microsurgery and, although temporary artery catheterization helps surgical decision making, the technique seems to fail to influence outcomes. Level of Evidence IV, Retrospective Case Series.

Acute radiating low back pain is a frequently occurring clinical condition among the population, and it represents a significant portion of urgent care in public health services.

Objective: Consider the clinical characteristics, demographics, as well as the intensity of the pain, discomfort, and dysfunction of patients who show a clinical diagnosis that is compatible with acute radicular pain, new or reoccurring after an asymptomatic period.

Methods: Patients that display a clinical diagnosis that is compatible with acute sciatic nerve pain, with the beginning of it starting within three months, without previous history of a similar occurrence, were seen in an orthopedic health clinic from July 2020 to January 2021.

Results: A total of 42 patients were seen with a compatible diagnosis, which represents 1.4% of all medical visits. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have considered the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with acute radicular pain in the Brazilian population. This study has found a mean value on the disfunction index that is greater than what is suggested by the current literature.

Conclusion: About 30% of individuals showed functional involvement that was considered crippling, which presented a stronger association with individuals with the presence of motor deficits, intensity of radiating pain, and professional inactivity. Level of Evidence IV, Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the dorsal fixation technique with a cannulated compression screw (CCS) for transverse scaphoid neck fractures.

Methods: A case series study was carried out with patients treated with a CSS between April 2014 and May 2021. The main outcome was the healing of the fracture, verified by radiographic evaluation that used images of the wrist in anteroposterior, lateral, radial deviation, ulnar deviation and oblique views, obtained in the postoperative period.

Results: Fifty-two patients aged between 15 and 65 years were analyzed, of which 43 (83%) were male. Of the 52 patients, 19 (36.53%) had a right-hand injury and 33 (63.46%) had a left-hand injury. Results were excellent in 47 patients (90.38%); good in 4 patients (7.69%), with reduced mobility compared to contralateral and poor in 1 patient (1.92%), with failure of consolidation and breakage of the synthesis material. In 51 cases (99%) there was bone consolidation at the end of six months.

Conclusion: Osteosynthesis with a cannulated compression screw is a safe, effective and promising method for the treatment of scaphoid neck fractures. Level of Evidence IV, Case Series.

Objective: to outline the profile of risk groups for spinal cord injury (SCI) at the Hospital de Clinicas de Campinas by an epidemiological survey of 41 patients with SCI.

Methods: Data from patients with SCI were collected and analyzed: demographic data, level of neurological injury, visual analogue scale (VAS), and the current American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale (AIS), using questionnaires, medical records, and imaging tests. Fisher's exact test was used to assess the relationship between categorical variables, Spearman's correlation coefficient was used for numerical variables, and the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze the relationship between categorical and numerical variables, with significance level of 5%.

Results: There was a prevalence of 82.9% of men, a mean age of 26.5 years, and traffic accidents as the cause of SCI in 56.1% of cases.

Conclusion: Results suggest the importance of SCI prevention campaigns directed at this population. Level of Evidence II, Retrospective Study.

Ankle injuries are the most common musculoskeletal injuries in emergency rooms and are associated with a great social and economic impact. The need to request additional tests for ankle sprains is based on suspicion of fracture. The Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) establish criteria for ordering radiographs to avoid performing unnecessary examinations.

Objective: To evaluate the implementation of the Ottawa Rules as a protocol for treating ankle sprains in the emergency department of a university hospital.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study, conducted over a period of three months before and three months after implementation of the protocol.

Results: In the first phase, all patients complaining of ankle sprain underwent radiographs. In the second phase, after the application of the OAR, out of 85 patients evaluated, only 58 underwent complementary exams, showing a reduction of 31.8% in the request for imaging exams. There was no significant difference in fracture detection between the two groups (p=0.476).

Conclusion: The OAR can be used as a tool in diagnosing ankle sprains, and their implementation reduced the request for imaging exams. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective Comparative Study.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical profile, pain improvement, and the need for surgical interventions in patients undergoing transforaminal block with the use of corticosteroids and anesthetics.

Methods: This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind study with 45 patients with unilateral radicular pain in their lower limbs and a single-segment lumbar disc herniation diagnosis. In the intervention group, transforaminal blocks with bupivacaine, dexamethasone, and clonidine were applied and in the control group, distilled water and bupivacaine. The Oswestry questionnaire was applied.

Results: We included 24 female (53.4%) and 21 male patients (46.6%). Of those with an occupation, 85.71% (n = 30) were relieved from their duties due to their illness and 14.29% (n = 5) continued to work with limitations. Those who underwent transforaminal block with an injection of corticosteroids, clonidine, and anesthetics showed immediate relief. However, such effect failed to alleviate patients' symptoms after three weeks. We observed that 52% of patients showed varying degrees of improvement. The control group experienced mild pain relief after one week, which also failed to last after three weeks. Moreover, 50% of patients improved in varying degrees.

Conclusion: Further studies with larger samples, new epidemiological data, and longer follow-ups are necessary to validate our hypotheses. Level of Evidence II, Prospective Study.

A previous study has reported the therapeutic effects of interlaminar/transforaminal approaches under full-endoscopic visualization to treat L5-S1 lumber disc herniation (LDH). However, the comparison of interlaminar/transforaminal approaches to treat other segments of LDH remains unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of full-endoscopic interlaminar and transforaminal lumbar discectomy to treat LDH.

Methods: A total of 93 patients with LDH who underwent fully-endoscopic lumbar interlaminar/transforaminal discectomy were retrospectively collected. Patients were divided into a Transforaminal group (n=41) and an Interlaminar group (n=52). Clinical efficacy was evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS), the Oswestry disability index (ODI), and the modified MacNab scoring system.

Results: Of the 93 patients, involving segments in LDH referred to L_3-4, L_4-5, and L_5-S1. The fluoroscopy times in the Interlaminar group were smaller than that of the Transforaminal group. We found no obvious significances between the Transforaminal and Interlaminar groups regarding operation time, incision length, postoperative landing time, hospitalization, and incision healing time. Postoperative VAS and ODI scores notably improved at follow-up. Besides, almost 90% LDH patients achieved excellent/good outcomes.

Conclusion: The full-endoscopic visualization technique via interlaminar and transforaminal approaches safely and effectively treat LDH. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective Study.

Reconstruction of the distal third of the tibia due to resection of a malignant tumor has some hindering factors, such as a thin subcutaneous layer, neurovascular bundles that cross compartments, prolonged operative duration, specific orthopedic material, and a trained multidisciplinary team. Allografting with material from tissue banks is part of this orthopaedic arsenal.

Objective: To describe the protocol used at Instituto Nacional de Traumatologia e Ortopedia Jamil Haddad.

Methods: Series of six cases subjected to resection with oncologic margins, allograft reconstruction, and use of a retrograde ankle nail as limb-salvage surgery. Three of the six patients were women, the lesions were on average 9.3 cm long, and the average operative duration was 3.25 hours.

Results: The main short-term complication (≤ 30 days) was peroneal nerve palsy, while the main long-term complication (> 30 days) was surgical site infection (two cases). Consolidation of the two foci occurred in three patients, and two patients developed asymptomatic pseudoarthrosis of the proximal focus with consolidation of the distal focus.

Conclusion: Despite the complications, the proposed surgery gives patients the chance to preserve their limb in the face of immediate radical surgery. Level of Evidence IV, Case Series.