Finding an appropriate soft-tissue grafting material to close a wound located over the distal phalanx of the thumb, especially the pulp region, can be a difficult task. A sensate first dorsal metacarpal artery flap, mobilized from the dorsum of the adjacent index finger and used as an island pedicle skin flap, can be useful for this purpose. The pedicle includes the ulnar branch of the first do...

Over 800,000 bone grafting procedures are performed in the United States annually, creating a demand for viable alternatives to autogenous bone, the grafting standard in osseous repair. The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of a BMP-polymer matrix in inducing the expression of the osteoblastic phenotype and in vitro bone formation by muscle-derived cells. Specifically, we eval...

BACKGROUND Common cell based strategies for the treatment of osseous defects require the isolation and expansion of autologous cells. Since this makes such approaches time-consuming and expensive, we developed a novel expedited technology creating gene activated muscle grafts. We have previously shown that large segmental bone defects in rats can be regenerated by implantation of muscle tissue ...

BACKGROUND Pasteurized bone grafting is used following the excision of a bone tumor for the purpose of eliminating neoplastic cells while preserving bone-inducing ability. In the hopes of guaranteeing the most favourable results, the establishment of an animal model has been urgently awaited. In the course of establishing such a model, we made a preliminary examination of the effect of muscle c...

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether transpedicular bone grafting as a supplement to posterior pedicle screw fixation in thoracolumbar fractures results in a stable reconstruction of the anterior column, that allows healing of the fracture without loss of correction. Posterior instrumentation using an internal fixator is a standard procedure for stabilizing the injured ...

Dear Sir, We read with interest the article ‘‘Transpedicle Body Augmenter A Further Step in Treating Burst Fractures’’ by Li et al. [5]. This article addressed short-segment fixation well by comparing patients treated with a transpedicle body augmenter with a control group of patients treated with short-segment posterior instrumentation. The issue of short-segment versus long-segment fixation i...

There are few reports of the treatment of lumbar tuberculous spondylitis using the posterior approach. Between January 1999 and February 2004, 16 patients underwent posterior lumbar interbody fusion with autogenous iliac-bone grafting and pedicle screw instrumentation. Their mean age at surgery was 51 years (28 to 66). The mean follow-up period was 33 months (24 to 48). The clinical outcome was...

An alternative pedicle trajectory for use at the superior end of a construct to limit dissection of the mobile superior facet joint and reduce incision length and muscle dissection, thus minimizing approach-related trauma during pedicle fixation, is reported. The medio-latero-superior trajectory technique involves a starting point on the medial aspect of the pars and angulation of the pedicle s...