• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.236-239
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• 2017

After dual plating with a locking compression plate for comminuted intraarticular fractures of the distal humerus, the incidence of ulnar nerve injury after surgery has been reported to be up to 38%. This can be reduced by an anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve but some surgeons believe that extensive handling of the nerve with transposition can increase the risk of an ulnar nerve dysfunction. This paper reports ulnar nerve injuries caused by the incomplete insertion of a screw head in dual plating without an anterior ulnar nerve transposition for AO/OTA type C2 distal humerus fractures. When an anatomical locking plate is applied to a distal humeral fracture, locking screws around the ulnar nerve should be inserted fully without protrusion of the screw because an incompletely inserted screw can cause irritation or injury to the ulnar nerve because the screw head in the locking system usually has a slightly sharp edge because screw head has threads. If the change in insertion angle and resulting protruded head of the screw are unavoidable for firm fixation of fracture, the anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve is recommended over a soft tissue shield.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.151-157
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• 2014

Purpose: We report the surgical outcomes for femoral shaft fractures in polytrauma patients who were temporarily treated with external fixation and subsequently converted to internal fixation. Methods: From August 2008 to April 2012, we enrolled 13 patients with multiple traumas due to high-energy injuries and concurrent femoral shaft fractures in which temporary external fixation was carried out. The mean age was 39 years, with a range from 18 to 55 years. Ten were men and 3 were women. According to the AO/OTA classification of fractures, type A was found in 5 patients, type B in 6, and type C in 2, with open fractures being found in 6 patients and femoral artery rupture occurring in 2. For internal fixation, intramedullary nailing was performed in 7 patients, and minimally-invasive fixation of locking compression plates was used in 6. Results: Of the 7 patients converted to intramedullary nailing, 1 experienced delayed union. Of the 6 patients treated with minimally-invasive plate fixation, delayed union occurred in 5, and an auto-bone graft was performed within, on average, 8 months (range: 5~10 months), leading to bone union in all cases in the final follow-up. None of the patients experienced infections or complications involving other organs after having been converted to internal fixation. During the mean follow-up of 19 months, patients achieved satisfactory functional outcomes. Conclusion: In polytrauma patients with a femoral shaft fracture who have been treated with temporary external fixation and who may need internal fixation due to the occurrence of delayed union, an appropriate internal fixation method needs to be selected based on the patient's physical status, and the fracture type.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.282-284
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• 2019

A 8-year-old, intact female, 2.1 kg, yorkshire terrier dog was referred to Animal Medical Center, Chonbuk National University due to right hindlimb lameness. Orthopedic examinations revealed pain during extension and flexion on stifle joint, positive cranial drawer sign, positive tibial compression test and patella luxation. Radiography showed the cranial displacement of right tibia with mildly increasing the synovial volume. The surgical procedure involved radial osteotomy of the proximal tibia and fixation by 1.2 T-locking plate. At two weeks after surgery, the patient was able to weight-bearing and gait gradually improved. This case report describes circular Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (cTTA) surgical technique and the successful surgical repair of cranial cruciate ligament rupture a dog.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.180-185
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• 2018

Objective : Many lumbosacral fixation techniques have been described to offer a more screw-bone purchase. The forward anatomical fixation parallel to the endplate is still the most preferred method. Literature revealed little knowledge regarding the mechanical stability of lumbosacral trans-endplate fixation compared to the traditional trans-pedicular screw fixation method. The aim of this study is to assess the pull-out strength of lumbosacral screws penetrating the end plate and comparing it to the conventional trans-pedicular screw insertion method. Methods : Eight lumbar and eight sacral vertebrae, with average age 69.4 years, Left pedicles of the 5th lumbar vertebrae were used for trans-endplate screw fixation, group 1A, right pedicles were used for anatomical trans-pedicular screw fixation, group 1B. In the sacral vertebrae, the right side S1 pedicles were used for trans-endplate fixation, group 2A, left side pedicles were used for anatomical trans-pedicular screw fixation, group 2B. The biomechanical tests were performed using the axial compression testing machine. All tests were applied using 2 mm/min traction speed. Results : The average pull-out strength values of groups 1A and 1B were $403.78{\pm}11.71N$ and $306.26{\pm}17.55N$, respectively. A statistical significance was detected with p=0.012. The average pull-out strength values of groups 2A and 2B were $388.73{\pm}17.03N$ and $299.84{\pm}17.52N$, respectively. A statistical significance was detected with p=0.012. Conclusion : The trans-endplate lumbosacral fixation method is a trustable fixation method with a stronger screw-bone purchase and offer a good alternative for surgeons specially in patients with osteoporosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.493-500
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• 2001

Objective : Anterior cervical locking plates are the devices for achieving anterior cervical spinal fusion. This study was conducted to evaluate the locking plate system regarding its long-term advantages and disadvantages in the view of interbody fusion rate, hardware-related failures, vertebral change close to the fusion segment and postoperative complications. Method : Eight-six patients, operated from Jan., 1996 to Jun. 1998, were followed-up for more than two years. All of the cases were fused with iliac bone graft and ORION locking plate(Sofamor Danek USA, Inc., Memphis, TN) fixation. The patients were discharged or transferred to rehabilitation department 2-7 days after operation. A comprehensive evaluation of the interbody fusion state, instrument failure, vertebral change and postoperative complications were made by direct interview and cervical flexion-extension lateral plain films. Results : There were 55 male and 31 female with a mean age of 45 years(18-75 years). The mean follow-up period was 29 months(24-43 months). Various disorders that were operated were 40 cervical discs, 6 cervical stenosis including OPLL, 2 infections, and 38 traumas. Fusion level was single in 59 cases, two levels of each disc space in 15 cases, and two levels after one corpectomy in 12 cases. There was no instrument failure. Pseudoarthrosis was observed in two cases(2%) without radiological instability. The other patients(98%) showed complete cervical fusion with stable instrument. Mild settling of interbody graft with upward migration of screws was found in 12 cases(14%). Anterior bony growth at the upper segment was found in 5 cases(6%). Postoperative foreign body sensation or dysphagia was observed in 12 cases(4%), and disappeared within one month in 7 cases and within six months in 4 cases. One patient complained for more than six months and required reoperation to remove paraesophageal granulation tissue. Conclusion : The results show that Orion cervical locking plate has some disadvantages of upward migration of screws, anterior bony growth at the upper segment, or possibility of esophageal compression even though it has advantages of high interbody fusion rate or low instrument failure. Author believe that anterior cervical locking plate in the future should be thinner, and should have short end from the screw hole, and movable screw with adequate stability.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2012

Purpose: The clinical and radiographic outcomes of the internal fixation, which were executed on patients over the age of 65 with proximal humerus fracture by using a polyaxial angular stable locking compression plate (Non-Contact-Bridging proximal humerus plate, Zimmer, Switzerland, NCB), were evaluated. Materials and Methods: Thirty two patients over the age of 65 among the proximal humerus fracture treated with NCB plate, between August 2007 and January 2011, were chosen as the subjects. The average age of patients was 71 years, and the average postoperative follow-up period was 11.5 months. The fractures included 14 two-part and 18 three-part fractures. The clinical results were evaluated, using the visual analog scale (VAS) score and the Constant score. The radiological results were evaluated by time to union and Paavolainen method, which measures the neck shaft angle. Results: At the last follow-up examination, the mean VAS score was 3 points and the mean Constant score was 64.5 points, with bone union achieved after the average of 16.2 weeks following the surgery in all the cases. The mean neck shaft angle was 125.9 and 24 cases had good results, while 8 cases had fair results by Paavolainen method, at the last follow-up. There were 1 case of delayed union and cerclage wire failure, and 3 cases of subacromial impingement. There were no complications, such as loss of reduction, nonunion, screw loosening, or avascular necrosis of the humeral head. Conclusion: Internal fixation, using a NCB plate, was considered to be an effective surgical method in treating proximal humerus fracture in the elderly patients, on whom the fixation of the fracture and maintenance of reduction are difficult.

• Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.115-120
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• 2009

Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of three different surgical approaches in treating a distal radius fracture with dorsal communition. Materials and Methods: From April, 2006 to May, 2009, 49 patients over age of 60years old with unstable dorsal communition distal radius fracture were analyzed. We compared maintainability of reduction by radiological follow-up observations and clinical outcomes using Mayo wrist scores. One-Way ANOVA test was performed to examine the statistical correlation between the methods. Results: All three approaches provided satisfactory post-op reduction results. However, follow-up observations showed significant loss of reduction in the external fixation only group compared to the added bone graft group and the volar anatomical locking plate group (P<0.05). Mayo wrist score was indifferent between the three groups. Conclusion: Treatment of a distal radius fracture with severe dorsal communition using an external fixation only appears to be insufficient in maintaining reduction of a cancellous bone defect.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.199-209
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• 2010

The locking compression plates-distal femur(LCP-DF) are being widely used for surgical management of the extra-articular complex fractures of the distal femur. They feature locking mechanism between the screws and the screw holes of the plate to provide stronger fixation force with less number of screws than conventional compression bone plate. However, their biomechanical efficacies are not fully understood, especially regarding the number of the screws inserted and their optimal configurations. In this study, we investigated effects of various screw configurations in the shaft and the condylar regions of the femur in relation to structural stability of LCP-DF system. For this purpose, a baseline 3-D finite element (FE) model of the femur was constructed from CT-scan images of a normal healthy male and was validated. The extra-articular complex fracture of the distal femur was made with a 4-cm defect. Surgical reduction with LCP-DF and bone screws were added laterally. To simulate various cases of post-op screw configurations, screws were inserted in the shaft (3~5 screws) and the condylar (4~6 screws) regions. Particular attention was paid at the shaft region where screws were inserted either in clustered or evenly-spaced fashion. Tied-contact conditions were assigned at the bone screws-plate whereas general contact condition was assumed at the interfaces between LCP-DF and bone screws. Axial compressive load of 1,610N(2.3 BW) was applied on the femoral head to reflect joint reaction force. An average of 5% increase in stiffness was found with increase in screw numbers (from 4 to 6) in the condylar region, as compared to negligible increase (less than 1%) at the shaft regardless of the number of screws inserted or its distribution, whether clustered or evenly-spaced. At the condylar region, screw insertion at the holes near the fracture interface and posterior locations contributed greater increase in stiffness (9~13%) than any other locations. Our results suggested that the screw insertion at the condylar region can be more effective than at the shaft during surgical treatment of fracture of the distal femur with LCP-DF. In addition, screw insertion at the holes close to the fracture interface should be accompanied to ensure better fracture healing.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2009

Purpose: We assessed the radiographic and clinical results of one surgeon's experience treating proximal humerus fractures with a locked proximal humeral plate. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with unstable proximal humerus fractures were treated with a locking compression plate between February 2005 and September 2007. The average age of the patients was 60.6 years, and the average postoperative follow-up period was 22.3 months. The clinical results were evaluated using the Constant and DASH scores. The radiologic results were evaluated by the Paavolainen method, which measures the neck shaft angle and humeral head height. Results: At the last follow-up examination, the mean Constant score was 75.3 and 15 cases (75%) had excellent or good results; the mean DASH score was 16.4. The mean neck shaft angle was $137.1^{\circ}$, and 19 cases (95%) had good results by the Paavolainen method. There was one delayed union, malunion, and screw loosening. Conclusion: The patients treated with a locking compression plate had relatively good clinical and radiologic results, and a low complication rate. Moreover, the patients could exercise earlier due to good reduction and initial stability. Treatment of unstable proximal humerus fractures with a locking compression plate is a reliable method.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.220-226
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• 2018

Background: This study introduces a surgical technique with good clinical outcome useful in the treatment of osteoporotic displaced 3- or 4-part proximal humeral fractures. Methods: From May 2014 to February 2016, 16 patients with displaced 3- or 4-part proximal humeral fractures were treated by application of a locking plate with an endosteal strut allograft via a deltoid splitting approach with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. The allograft was inserted through a fractured gap of the greater tuberosity to support the humeral head and then fixed by a locking plate with meticulous soft tissue dissection to protect the axillary nerve. Surgical outcomes were evaluated by the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, radiological imaging, and clinical examination. Fixation failure on radiographs was defined as a >$5^{\circ}$ loss of neck shaft angle (NSA) compared to that on an immediate postoperative radiograph. Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the humeral head was also evaluated. Results: In all cases, complete union was achieved. The ASES and VAS scores were improved to $85.4{\pm}2.1$ and $3.2{\pm}1.3$, respectively. Twelve patients (75.0%) had greater than a $5^{\circ}$ change in NSA; the average NSA change was $3.8^{\circ}$. Five patients (31.3%) had unsatisfactory ranges of motion exhibiting a <$100^{\circ}$ active forward flexion. No axillary nerve injuries or AVN were observed at the last follow-up. One patient was converted to reverse total arthroplasty due to severe pain and functional deficit. Conclusions: Minimally invasive fixation via a locking compression plate and an endosteal fibula strut allograft in Neer classification 3-or 4-part fractures with severe osteoporosis in elderly patients can achieve good clinical results.