BACKGROUND The current treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures has been surgical fixation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of indirect reduction with Ilizarov external fixation as a viable alternative in the surgical treatment of certain calcaneal fractures. METHODS Thirty-one patients with 33 fractures of the calcaneus (Sanders types II, III, and IV) we...

This study evaluates the results of intertrochanteric fractures of the femur treated by external fixation. One hundred and four intertrochanteric fractures of the femur were stabilized by external fixation over an 8 year period. Complete fracture healing was detected in all patients within 11.2 weeks. Varus malunions and more than 2 cm limb shortening were evaluated in 8 patients. Eight patient...

Between 1994 and 1998, seven adolescents underwent hip arthrodesis with the use of an external fixator. Mean time of follow-up was 24.0 months after surgery. The duration of fixation and time to fusion were 6.6 months (range, 5-9.5 months) and 8.0 months (range, 5.2-15 months), respectively. At most recent follow-up, there was a significant improvement in the mean modified Harris hip score, in ...

An account is given of 38 patients with complicated tibial fractures who were treated by the Portsmouth method of external fixation. Twenty-one patients had multiple injuries and 30 had compound fractures of the tibia. Eighteen fractures wounds were infected, 17 cases required bone grafts and 13 had skin grafts. Thirty-four fractures united in an average time of six months; three patients under...

BACKGROUND Articulated external fixation has been proposed as a method to protect ligament reconstructions while allowing aggressive and early postoperative rehabilitation after knee dislocation. However, the ability of these fixators to protect and stabilize the knee joint has not been clearly determined. HYPOTHESIS Articulated external fixation can reduce anteroposterior translation in the ...

A large aterior chest wall defect following tumor resection was reconstructed with a Gore-Tex® membrane and a combined musculocutaneous rectus femoris and tensor fasciae latae free flap. Subsequent paradoxical respiration impeded weaning from the ventilator. Appliance of Vacuum Assisted Closure® (VAC®) resulted in immediate chest wall stability and a decrease in the patient's need for respirato...

We immobilised the right hindlimbs of six-month-old female Wistar rats for four weeks using a biplanar external fixation bridging the knee. The untreated left limbs served as a control group. An additional group of rats was allowed to recover for four weeks after removal of the frame. Immobilisation caused reduction in the wet weights of approximately 50% in the gastrocnemius, quadriceps, soleu...

Bronchoscopically placed silicone stents are used increasingly for treating patients with tracheal stenosis due to benign or malignant airway disease. When stenosis occurs in the immediate subglottic region, however, complications of stent insertion, especially migration, are troublesome. The purpose of this report is to describe a technique of external fixation of subglottic stents that may be...

We report a prospective, randomised, controlled trial of 50 severely displaced comminuted Colles' fractures treated by either external fixation or manipulation and plaster. Each patient was assessed radiographically throughout treatment, and functionally by an independent observer at three and six months. The functional result correlated with the anatomical result, which was significantly bette...

Hybrid thin wire external fixation is an effective, minimally invasive treatment for the stabilization of periarticular, supracondylar, and pilon fractures. The extent of bone and soft-tissue loss, high risk of infection, and further damage to the soft tissues precludes open reduction and internal fixation as a safe treatment method. External fixation preserves the soft-tissue envelope with min...