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Background: Pathological fractures are not only incisive events for tumor patients often with the need of surgical treatment but also often represent a relevant challenge in the overall concept of oncological treatment., Objective: The aim of this article is to illustrate the necessity of a pre-interventional interdisciplinary consideration of disease-specific and patient-specific characteristics., Material and Methods: A literature search and evaluation of existing guidelines were carried out including the keywords "bone metastases" and "pathological fractures" with respect to the oncological and radiotherapeutic treatment., Results: An essential classification of the surgical and other needs for treatment is carried out by the identification of the underlying disease and dissemination situation. For tumor-related pathological fractures a palliative treatment situation is present in most cases. Nevertheless, a possible oligometastasis and an increasing number of effective systemic treatment methods must be taken into consideration when planning the surgical treatment. In addition to the therapeutic emergency indications in spinal compression or symptomatic hypercalcemia, both additive radiotherapy and supplementary pharmaceutical osteoprotection have to be addressed in this context. Radiotherapy in particular represents an effective alternative option for symptom and tumor control., Conclusion: The work-up of the multifaceted oncological treatment concept represents an interdisciplinary challenge, which ideally defines the further treatment procedure, including fracture treatment, in an interdisciplinary tumor board within an overall oncological concept., (© 2021. Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Radiological diagnostics play a key role in the identification and assessment of pathological fractures. Conventional projection radiography is still the mainstay of imaging investigations. With knowledge of the patient history, the morphology and location of a fracture as well as concomitant findings, such as osteolysis or periosteal reactions can add valuable information on the origin of the fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the imaging modality of choice for the local diagnostic work-up as it provides insights into the medullary cavity and visualizes potential extraosseous tumor tissue in the fracture zone. Computed tomography (CT) imaging provides valuable information on the morphological features of fractures and is useful for the planning of the surgical approach. Furthermore, it is the modality of choice for whole-body staging. In most cases of pathological fractures without a history of malignancy, a biopsy and histological work-up is recommended., (© 2021. Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Pathological fractures of the extremities frequently lead to uncertainty with respect to the treatment strategy and timing. The origin of metastases is typically breast, bronchial, renal and prostate cancer and myelomas. Primary bone tumors play a subordinate role. The majority affect the femur, humerus and occasionally the tibia. Surgery is typically the first line treatment as healing under conservative treatment is unlikely. The most important goal is to relieve pain and the preservation or restoration of function. For correct assessment of indications, analysis of the fracture pattern and oncological aspects including dignity, entity, prognosis, metastatic status and the general condition of the patient need to be taken into consideration. Based on all these aspects the surgical approach can be chosen. Treatment options range from osteosynthetic stabilization and augmentation osteosynthesis up to endoprosthesis replacement. The treatment is carried out in an interdisciplinary procedure as additional measures need to be addressed in addition to the surgical treatment., (© 2021. Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Background: Pathological fractures and instabilities of the spine are most often caused by primary tumors that hematogenously metastasize into the spine. In this context breast, prostate, kidney cell and bronchial carcinomas are the most relevant causative diseases. Furthermore, multiple myeloma is another frequent entity. Primary tumors of the spine are correspondingly rare and only make up a small proportion of all malignant processes in the spine., Decision Making: The main symptom of pain is prognostically unfavorable in this context and is often associated with progressive instability or pathological fractures. To objectify the treatment approach the neurological status, an oncological assessment, the biomechanical stability and (systemic) general condition (NOMS criteria) of the patient have to be considered. Another major factor is the radiation sensitivity of the tumor. The spinal instability neoplastic (SIN) score is recommended to assess stability. Regardless of whether conservative or surgical treatment is carried out, interdisciplinary cooperation between the specialist departments must be guaranteed in order to achieve adequate treatment for the patient., Treatment: If a curative approach is followed an individualized and interdisciplinary surgical strategy must be performed to achieve an R0 resection, usually as a spondylectomy. In the case of palliative treatment, the goal of surgical treatment must be pain reduction, stability and avoidance or restoration of neurological deficits. This requires stabilization in a percutaneous or open technique, possibly in combination with decompression and local tumor debulking., (© 2021. Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Pathological fractures of long tubular bones are stabilized with conventional implants. Essentially, plates and intramedullary nails are used for stabilization and are two different techniques, which compete with each other with respect to the surgical treatment. A large number of such means of osteosynthesis are commercially available but are primarily focused on acute fractures in otherwise biologically healthy bones. The pathological fracture or the treatment of impending pathological fractures due to metastatic osteolysis differs from the treatment of healthy bones in some fundamental aspects. The characteristics of pathological fractures make the development of new technologies that meet the specific needs of both the patient and the surgeon desirable. A new approach in treatment is stabilization of internal long bone fractures by the use of a cylindrical balloon implant, which is introduced into the bone via a small proximal or distal hole and then filled and expanded to a much larger diameter with a liquid monomer. The curing process is initiated with the application of blue light forming a rigid implant by polymerization (IlluminOss™). Many of the well-known disadvantages of conventional implants can be eliminated with this technology. Specifically, with respect to the irregular shape of the natural medullary canal it is possible to completely fill the medullary canal of the tubular bone. The filling of the canal provides torsional stability without the use of interlocking screws. Similarly, the use of the balloon technique enables minimally invasive surgery and furthermore permits the additive use of conventional metallic plates whenever necessary. The new balloon techniques show high primary stability in the treatment of pathological shaft fractures. In particular cases, the addition of a supplemental plate osteosynthesis is recommended.

Surgery in metastatic bone disease is currently the most frequent type of surgery in orthopedic oncology. Improved survival rates and an increasing incidence of bone metastasis have led to an increase in complications caused by metastatic disease, such as pathological fractures or hardware failure after operative treatment. Although surgery of metastatic lesions remains a palliative therapy concept, because of sufficient therapy for the primary carcinomas, tumor-specific-oriented follow-up protocols and a variation in the prognosis for the individual entities, an individually adapted treatment strategy is necessary. Depending on the life expectancy, more aggressive surgical procedures with the goal of adequate local tumor control have come into focus. Therefore, prognosis-tailored treatment requires an experienced team and should be performed in a multidisciplinary tumor center. The current article provides an overview of recent therapy concepts for the surgical treatment including endoprosthetic reconstruction, internal fixation with either intramedullary nailing or plate fixation devices, often augmented with bone cement.

Background: Malignant bone tumors should be treated within interdisciplinary treatment concepts. The prognosis of pathological fractures is on the whole relatively poor because the fracture is indicative of a large and highly aggressive tumor and the hematoma associated with the fracture could possibly result in spreading of the tumor into the surrounding soft tissues., Objectives: This article summarizes the current interdisciplinary treatment concepts under special consideration of pathological fractures in primary bone tumors., Methods: A selective literature search was carried out taking own experience into consideration., Results: Due to the multimodal therapy approach for osteosarcoma and Ewing's sarcoma, the 5-year survival rate could be increased to 60-70 %., Conclusion: The therapeutic treatment should always be carried out within the framework of an interdisciplinary, oncological bone expert team, especially in cases of pathological fractures of malignant bone tumors.

The incidence of trochanteric fractures is increasing in Europe, and the economic impact and mortality is high. The aim of the study was to evaluate the PFNA® (proximal femoral nail antirotation) with respect to its clinical use and mechanical complications.All patients with a trochanteric fracture who had been treated with a PFNA® between 12/2004 and 12/2007 were identified and analysed regarding complications and radiological findings. The study included 195 patients; 61.2% of the patients were classified as Singh I und II. The mean duration of surgery was 57 min. In ten cases (5.1%) the blade migrated, four cases (2.1%) showed blade cut out and in one case the nail broke (0.5%). The mean TAD was 26.7 mm, in cases of cut out 41.3 mm and in blade migrations 38.6 mm. No failure could be documented when the TAD was less then 30 mm. There is a strong relationship between increasing TAD and mechanical failure (P<0.001); 84.6% of the patients have been followed up, and 30.2% died in the follow-up period.The PFNA® is an easy-to-use implant for the treatment of stable and instable proximal femur fractures. Mechanical failure depends on the TAD.

Fractures of the pelvis are of increasing interest, especially in older patients due to the often concomitant osteoporosis. The low bone quality can be a problem in several fixation situations. In this review the present and relevant literature on biomechanical data of unstable pelvic ring injuries and all biomechanical data dealing with osteosynthesis for acetabular fractures are discussed.

Whereas pelvic injuries in patients in their 20s and 30s are typically caused by high energy trauma, another group suffering this injury are elderly patients between the seventh and eighth decades of life. Due to osteoporosis and co-morbidities females are particularly affected by low energy trauma. After examining the medical history a physical examination of the pelvis is performed. This is followed by imaging with X-ray and CT scanning with 3D reconstruction if necessary. If there are concomitant injuries additional diagnostics are essential (e.g. sonography, MRI, retrograde ureterography, cystography and excretion urogram). The standard AO/ATO classification (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen/Orthopedic Trauma Association) has been well proven and does not depend on the age of the patient. Three different fracture types are differentiated, types A, B and C. This classification in combination with the description of the affected anatomical region (e.g. transsymphysis, transpubic, etc.) is sufficient in the daily clinical practice to decide on the necessary treatment. Often there are diagnostic difficulties in elderly patients (so-called differentiation of the A-B problem). In these patients a type A fracture is initially diagnosed and treated conservatively but due to persistent pain the imaging is repeated and an additional (insufficiency) fracture is found. With this new information the therapeutic regime has to be changed. The reconstruction of the pelvic ring is of major importance especially for elderly patients. This reduces the pain and the primary objective, an earliest possible rehabilitation without prolonged immobilization, can be achieved. In elderly patients external fixation with supra-acetabular screw positioning is an effective procedure and secondary insufficiency-instability (mostly dorsal) can be avoided. Whereas type A fractures can almost exclusively be treated non-surgically, types B and C fractures usually need surgery. As in young patients type B fractures are stabilized ventrally and C fractures dorsoventrally. In an emergency supra-acetabular external fixation and when required extraperitoneal tamponade has been established as the standard treatment for elderly patients in Germany. For the definitive surgical management standard procedures are used, but they often have to be modified depending on the bone structure.

Kyphoplasty has been the standard procedure for osteoporotic fractures for more than 5 years but the material costs are still very high. The aim of this study was to clarify whether pain reduction could be achieved without increasing the rate of new fractures and also in what areas costs could possibly be reduced. From 15.01.2007 until 15.01.2008, a total of 100 patients with 126 recent osteoporotic spinal fractures were treated by kyphoplasty with an average operation time of 38 min and follow-up times up to 12 months. During this follow-up period 15 lateral and 2 dorsal cement leakages remained asymptomatic and 1 dorsal leakage caused an incomplete paraparesis, which was finally cured completely. All patients were very content and pain measured on the visual analogous scale could be lowered from 8.0 before the operation to 2.7 points after the operation. With material costs of 3,056 Euro, there were additional operation costs of 247 Euro per case. The average effective weight was 2.84. On average 7,810 Euro returns could be achieved, deducting material and operation costs left 4,507 Euro per case. More than 40% of gains were reinvested in operation and material costs. Within 12 months 6 new fractures occurred despite medicinal prophylactic treatment which could also be successfully treated by kyphoplasty. The average visual analogous scale after 12 months was 2.1 points.Kyphoplasty still causes financial deficits due to high material costs, however, patients benefit from a reduction of pain.

Background: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological follow-up of patients suffering from fixed post-traumatic and postinflammatory kyphotic deformities of the thoracic and lumbar spine and treated by posterior transpedicular wedge resection osteotomy of the spine., Methods: A total of 28 patients received a posterior transpedicular wedge resection osteotomy. A prospective follow-up was performed preoperatively, postoperatively and after 3, 6 and 12 months. The kyphotic angle of the fractured segment was evaluated as well as the clinical parameters the self-reported visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oswestry score., Results: The median pain scores (VAS) and the Oswestry disability scores (p<0.05) decreased significantly from pretreatment to post-treatment. Postoperatively a significant correction of the kyphotic angle could be achieved with a mean of 28 degrees (range 14-44 degrees ). In the follow-up after 1 year there was a 7 degrees increase in kyphosis., Conclusions: Transpedicular wedge resection osteotomy of the thoracic and lumbar spine offers a safe surgical technique for the treatment of fixed postinflammatory kyphotic deformities.

Background: This study investigated the progression and clinical relevance of biochemical resorption marker values during fracture healing in osteoporosis., Patients and Methods: In 44 patients with distal radius fractures and 29 patients without fractures, the blood and urine concentrations of pyridinoline (PYD), deoxypyridinoline (DPD), N-telopeptides (NTx), and bone sialoprotein (BSP) were recorded on the day of trauma as well as during further progression. All postmenopausal patients underwent bone density measurement. Accordingly, patients were divided into premenopausal, postmenopausal osteoporotic, and postmenopausal nonosteoporotic groups., Results: Between the groups, PYD, DPD, and NTx showed significant differences in their initial values. However, their further relative progression was primarily affected by the chosen therapy., Conclusion: Bone resorption markers can diagnostically point to osteoporosis and are significant parameters in fracture healing.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reduction of pain, improvement of sagittal alignment, complications and intermediate term results of balloon kyphoplasty in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCF). The study group consisted of 87 patients with 145 VCFs which were not responsive to non-operative treatment. All data were collected prospectively. Improvement of sagittal alignment (Cobb and kyphotic angles, anterior, middle and posterior height) was determined from CT scans. Pain was evaluated by means of a visual analogue scale (VAS). Postoperative CT scans revealed a significant reduction of the mean kyphotic angle of 5.7 degrees (range 2-24 degrees ) and a significant reduction of pain from 7.8+/-2.4 to 2.0+/-1.5 in the VAS (improvement of pain in 95.5% of patients). An asymptomatic leakage of cement was observed in 28 out of 145 vertebrae (19.3%). The outcome of 35 patients with 51 VCFs was evaluated after a mean of 13 (range 12-70) months (CT and VAS) and there was a persisting reduction of pain and no loss of reduction. In this group of patients new symptomatic fractures were evident in 4 and clinically asymptomatic (only seen on CT) fractures were detected in 5 out of 35 patients, 7 fractures were adjacent to and 2 fractures were remote from the initially treated level. In two patients an asymptomatic moderate loss of reduction was detected. These intermediate term results indicate that kyphoplasty reduces pain and improves sagittal alignment in patients with VCF. However, in 26% of patients new fractures occurred, predominantly in adjacent levels but approximately 50% of these fractures were clinically asymptomatic.

In times of plentiful nutrition an environmental advantage turns into a problem - obesity. Apart from an increase in morbidity and overall mortality the development of osteoarthrosis is well documented. Pre-arthrotic conditions may arise from trauma and can lead, depending on the pattern of injury, to full-blown arthrosis. The presence of obesity can play the role of a relevant progressive factor in this setting. Here we report about the case of an obese man (BMI 53.5 kg/m(2)), who suffered a fracture of the femoral head with acetabular participation (Pipkin IV) as well as a fracture of the tibial plateau. Operative management and rehabilitation were followed by gastric bypass surgery for weight reduction. The case is discussed with regard to the present literature.

The spine is the most frequent site of skeletal metastases. Among all spinal malignancies metastatic disease is most frequent and indicative of disseminating tumor disease. Depending on primary tumor entity, estimated survival time, general health status of the patient, presence of spinal instability and neurological deficits an oncological useful and patient-specific therapeutic intervention should be performed. New anterior approaches, resections and reconstruction techniques are making surgery a preferred method over radiation therapy. For differential indication of the multiple surgical treatment modalities prognostic scores are available to assist individual decision making. Indications for surgery include survival prognosis of minimum 3 months, intractable pain, progress of myelon compression and/or neurological deficits under radiochemotherapy, spinal instability and necessity for histological diagnosis. Resulting quality of life depends on efficient decompression of the spinal cord and restoration of spinal stability. To achieve these ultimate goals there are different anterior and posterior approaches, instrumentations and vertebral body replacement implants available. Preoperative embolization should be performed in hypervascular tumors, e.g., renal cell cancer. Vertebro-/Kyphoplasty as a percutaneous intervention should be considered for painful multisegmental disease and symptomatic osteolysis without epidural tumor compression to reach analgesia and stability. A multidisciplinary approach in patient selection, decision making and management is an essential precondition for complication avoidance and acceptable quality of life.

The incidence of diffuse idiopathic sceletal hyperostosis (DISH) is described in men more than 50 years old up to 25% and in women up to 15%. Even little trauma in patients with DISH often leads to injuries of the spine, especially the cervical spine. In many cases MRI is necessary to find the injury in this anatomically modified spine. It is often difficult to detect the injury by plane radiographs or even CT. Based on two cases of cervical spine fractures in patients with DISH we will describe the difficulties and specialities in the diagnostics and surgical treatment of injuries of the cervical spine in patients with DISH. In the one case we stabilized a patient with an odontoid fracture type Andersson II, the other case was a traumatic spondylolisthesis C4/C5. Both cases were treated operatively, the odontoid fracture was stabilized by a single screw, the spodylolisthesis by a ventral plate. If there are modifications in the spinal anatomy by degenerative diseases like DISH or spondylitis ankylosans, it is important to perform an intense search for injuries of the spine. In many cases MRI is indicated to detect the injury because plane radiographs and CT are not sensitive enough. For the planning of the operation it is important to meet concerns to the thick anterior longitudinal ligament and to use screws, that are long enough because the use of standard instruments is often not successful.

Sacral insufficiency fractures are an easily overlooked injury of the elderly, leading to severe and debilitating low back pain. Percutaneous vertebroplasty with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) has become the treatment of choice for painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. This is mainly due to the excellent results in pain relief, combined with a low morbidity of the procedure and the possibility of performing it in an outpatient setting. This well-known technique can be transferred to the treatment of sacral insufficiency fractures for which no active therapy is currently available. This so-called sacroplasty was first reported in 2002 as a single case report. Six other cases with this indication have been reported in the Anglo-American literature so far. This article is the first description of this technique in the German literature. It comprises the description of two typical cases highlighting the difficulties in diagnosis, surgical technique, and possible complications. Both patients were treated successfully and had a dramatic pain relief within several hours.

Pathological fractures caused by primary bone tumours are rare compared with fractures evolving in response to general osteoporosis or bone metastases. Nevertheless in cases of fracture due to inadequate trauma the underlying causality has to be clarified including histological analysis prior to the operating procedure. This case report demonstrates diagnostic and therapeutic standards in cases of pathological fracture of the proximal femur caused by osteosarcoma.

A patient with degenerative stenosis of the lumbar spinal canal developed paraparesis of both legs following a stable L4 burst fracture. However, neither the stenosis nor the fracture have caused a significant narrowing of the spinal canal. Surgical decompression and dorsal stabilization has led to relief of the neurological deficit. This case demonstrates that even a stable burst fracture may cause paraparesis and that a degenerative spinal canal stenosis is a predisposing factor.

The surgical treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures is rarely necessary and is mostly done in fractures with neurological deficit. We present a case of compound osteosynthesis in an osteoporotic fracture of the first lumbar vertebra as a "salvage procedure" after a dislocation of a dorsal internal fixator in a 76 year old female sustaining incomplete paraplegia. In this case, an additional ventral stabilization using a vertebral body replacement was not practicable because of old age and previous pneumonia. We performed an additional compound osteosynthesis using bone cement because of insufficient stability when only using cement for augmentation of the pedicle screws.

We report about a 6-year-old female patient who sustained a cervical spine (C7) burst fracture with initial neurological impairment. The treatment in our department on the day of the trauma included corporectomy and replacement of the C7 body with a tricortical iliac bone graft. One year after the trauma we were able to see the patient again. The functional outcome was good. Due to the rare entity of this case and the difficulty of predicting progress we would like to present our treatment regime and the 1-year follow-up results.

In this paper the authors report on a rare site for a benign bone lesion. They describe the clinical, radiological diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures for a benign fibrous histiocytoma (BFH) of the proximal radial metaphysis. Good results of operative treatment after excochleation, transplantation of an autologous bone chip, and stabilization with the IP-XXS nail are presented.

This paper presents the case report of an 88 year old female who came to hospital suffering from a severe lower back pain. Ten days before, she had undergone a vertebroplasty with injection of cement into lumbar vertebra 3 because of an osteoporotic fracture. This treatment did not result in a reduction of the lower back pain, which was the main reason for the procedure. However, the patient claimed to have increasing pain radiating to her left leg. Furthermore, she suffered from numbness of her left leg. Clinical examination showed a lack of power in this leg according to hip flexion with a degree of 3/5. X-ray examinations showed paravertebral cement particles and led to the suspicion that the paravertebral cement had caused nerve root compression. MRI and CT myelography showed that the cement had drained into the intraspinal, extradural venous plexus (Batson's plexus). The plexus was filled out with cement between L2 and L5 on both sides. There was nearly no cement in the fractured vertebra L3, but cement had also run onto the paravertebral veins up to the vena cava, which was also involved. The cemented veins had led to a stenosis of the neuroforamina L2 and L3 on the left side. The result was compression of left L3 nerve root. After consulting with our vascular surgeons, we decided on a non-operative treatment. We prescribed a lumbar brace as external stabilisation and as an antithrombotic treatment we gave the patient weight adapted low molecular weight heparin.

In contrast to solitary enchondroma,patients with multiple enchondromatosis of bone (Ollier's disease) get affected in childhood by bone swelling and growth retardation. In adults, the main problem is the risk of malign transformation up to 40%.Pain, increasing local tumor and thinning of the corticalis are the typical clinical and radiological signs of transformation to a low grade chondrosarcoma. There is no need for a regular radiological screening. If a malign transformation occurs,marginal or wide resection of the lesion should be performed.

Unlabelled: AIM OF THE STUDY, METHOD: The advantages of a prophylactic care of fracture-endangered, osseous metastasis of the mammary cancer stand opposite to the perioperative risk and to conservative alternatives. As a pathologic fracture cannot surely be excluded while performing a conservative proceeding, a retrospective trial was set up to compare the results of treatment after a pathologic fracture (n = 35) with those undergoing a prophylactic attendance (n = 44)., Results: The intraoperative, cardio-pulmonary complications were distributed in balance totally amounting to 20.3% (n = 16). Intraoperative complications concerning surgical procedure (n = 3) exclusively occurred within the fracture group. Generally, postoperative complications arose in 20.3% (n = 16) of all cases, in which the patients belonging to the fracture group were increasingly afflicted [28.6% (n = 11/35) vs. 11.4% (n = 5/44); p < 0.02]. While there were no differences between both groups concerning the postoperative, surgery-technical complications, significantly more patients (91.8% [n = 40/44]) of the prophylactic-care group achieved a complete postoperative usability of the operated area than in the fracture-group [74.3% (n = 26/35)] (p < 0.05). The average survival time tended to be longer within the prophylactic-care group [19.3 +/- 15.6 month (prophylactic-care group) vs. 15.0 +/- 16.9 month (fracture group)]., Conclusions: The prophylactic treatment of fracture endangered, osseous metastasis of the mammary cancer leads to reduction of the general, postoperative complications compared to the patients with a pathologic fracture. Further, those patients have a better chance to recover full mobility after surgery. Considering the long survival time after the incidence of osseous metastasis at the mammary cancer a prophylactic treatment represents the method of first choice compared with the conservative treatment which persistently contains the risk of fracturing.

Osteofibrous dysplasia Campanacci is a rare tumor-like lesion mostly presented in the meta-epiphyseal region of the tibia. Different options exist about the treatment modalities. The rare case of a 4 1/2-year-old girl suffering from a pathologic fracture of the tibia shaft due to a osteofibrous dysplasia is presented. The fracture was stabilized by intramedullary nailing using elastic titanium rods. During this procedure a biopsy of the lesion confirmed the radiological suspected diagnosis of an osteofibrous dysplasia. The implant was removed after ten months when fracture and lesion were healed. The treatment options and the differential diagnoses are discussed by review of the literature.

We report about a rare case of a pathological fracture of the shank following earlier pathological fractures at other locations in a comparatively young female patient with no history of trauma. There were no known diseases other than psoriasis. The shank fracture was treated surgically by osteosynthesis. Osteoporosis, myeloma, or malignancy as causative factors of this fracture could be excluded. Scintigraphy showed an enhancement, especially at the extremities. Other than reactive bone growth, histological examination revealed no further aspects. Laboratory analysis indicated a massive lack of vitamin D3. After transferring the patient to the internal department of our hospital, long-term medication with fumaric acid was determined to be the reason for the osteomalacia of a Fanconi's syndrome. Three months after cessation of these medicaments and treatment with active vitamin D3 metabolites, the patient was free of complaints. The radiographs showed an essential improvement of the demineralization.

Chondroblastoma is a rare benign bone tumor of cartilaginous origin. The typical localization of a chondroblastoma is the epiphysis of long tubular bones--the patella is a very unusual site with an estimated occurrence of 2%. We report a case of a 16-year-old patient with a chondroblastoma of the patella associated with a pathologic fracture. Partial resection of the patella was performed. This is the sixth case in the literature that associates patellar chondroblastoma with fracture.

Pathological fractures and osteolyses with impending fractures of long bones impose a severe problem in patients with advanced cancer. For palliative treatment between June 1993 and October 1995 intramedullary nailing was performed in 19 patients with 13 femoral, 7 humeral and 1 tibial lesions; AO unreamed nails were used for this purpose (unreamed femur nail UFN with or with spiral blade for femoral lesions and unreamed tibia nail UTN for humeri and tibia). Stabilization was achieved without severe complications; full weight bearing of both femora and humeri (while using crutches) was allowed. Simultaneous and bilateral nailing was done. Follow-up until death due to advanced cancer demonstrated no implant failure and improved quality of life as well. Unreamed intramedullary nailing seems to be a minimally invasive procedure with a low complication rate for palliative treatment of (impending) pathological fractures in advanced cancer.

Pathological fractures are defined as fractures that occur in patients with weakened bone due to systemic and local diseases. If osteoporosis is excluded, the frequency amounts to 5% of all fractures treated. The main diagnostic aim is to observe the pathological nature of the fracture and to perform interdisciplinary, causal therapy. For this, diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms are demonstrated, arranged according to osteopathies, constitution anomalies, myelogenous and inflammatory bone diseases, primary and secondary bone tumors and posttraumatic/postoperative disorders. These algorithms should help the trauma and orthopedic surgeon to select the proper conservative and operative therapy and to use all resection and reconstruction possibilities, such as osteosynthesis, alloarthroplasty and bone transplantation.

Osteogenesis imperfecta tarda is a hereditary disease with an insufficiency of osteoblasts caused by a collagen disorder, insufficient formation of osteoid and an impediment of periosteal bone formation. This leads to increased fragility of the bones and, as a consequence, to the risk of fractures. We report a simultaneous, bilateral medial femoral neck fracture, caused by a cerebral cramp attack. The patient is 80 years old and suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta tarda and Parkinson's disease. We implanted a cemented total endoprosthesis on each side in just one operation. There were no complications in the intra- and postoperative course. A walking aid gradually increased the patient's mobility so that he could be discharged on the 21st postoperative day.

Pathological or spontaneous fractures in childhood are rare and are mostly caused by benign bone diseases; the fractures must be treated on an individual basis, as there are no constant rules. Since the new method of osteosynthesis called "elastic stable intramedullary nailing" (ESIN) or "embrochage centro-medullaire elastique stable" (ECMES) has demonstrated the best results in the treatment of normal fractures in childhood, this method is rapidly being used in the treatment of spontaneous or pathological fractures. We report our experience in the treatment of spontaneous fractures in childhood with "elastic stable intramedullary nailing", in nine patients with ten fractures. The pathological diagnosis was in 5 cases a juvenile bone cyst; in addition, there were cases of histiocytosis X, lymphangiomatosis, hemangiomatosis and osteoporosis (one each). The location was the femur (two cases) and humerus (seven cases). All fractures healed completely without pseudarthrosis; as complications we saw one incidence of osteomyelitis, one of a second fracture after "elastic stable intramedullary nailing" and one coxa vara in a child with histiocytosis X of the proximal femur. In the 5 children with juvenile bone cysts the nails are still in situ; in two cases the nails had to be changed.

A case of pathologic femoral fracture in a patient with Gaucher's disease is presented. The fracture occurred at the site of bioptic trepanation performed 1 month previously. After fracture healing and removal of a Küntscher nail, pathologic fracture recurred at the same site. The paper emphasizes the value of "biological" internal fixation for the preservation of compromised blood flow in the bones of patients with Gaucher's disease.

Between August 1991 and December 1993, 48 fractures of the humeral shaft were treated operatively by retrograde interlocked nailing and followed up prospectively. The fractures were fresh in 39 patients and pathological in 6; in 3 the fracture had already been operated on. The Russell-Taylor nail was always inserted. In 1 of the 39 fresh fractures (2.6%) a postoperative palsy of the radial nerve was observed. In 3 cases (7.8%) comminution occurred at the fracture site. The comminution did not affect fracture healing. Consolidation was seen after an average of 13.7 weeks. In 2 patients a secondary intervention was necessary because of delayed fracture healing. After consolidation of the fractures, the shoulder function was excellent in 92.3% and elbow function excellent in 87.1% of cases. All 6 patients with pathological fractures were free of pain and had acceptable functioning of their stabilized upper arm. In 2 of the 3 fractures that had been operated on before nailing, pseudarthrosis developed. This was attributed to lack of interfragmentary compression. Retrograde nailing of the humeral shaft is a reliable procedure for fresh humeral shaft fractures and for pathological fractures. Small design changes are necessary to obtain a nail that can be used for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures with a lowered healing tendency.

Internal fixation of unstable intertrochanteric fractures of osteoporotic femurs often leads to complications, which are primarily caused by the mechanically weak bone. The aim of this study was to test whether a new glass-ionomeric cement could reinforce the weak trabecular bone of the femoral head and thus improve the preliminary stability of dynamic hip screws (DHS) used for internal fixation. As a standardized model, a intertrochanteric osteotomy was performed on eight pairs of human, female, cadaver femora; a bony defect was also created medially to diminish support of the femoral neck. To stabilize the osteotomy a 135 degrees DHS was inserted. In one femur of each pair the glass-ionomer cement was applied to see whether this would enhance stability. The elastic and irreversible deformation of the internal fixation was measured at the osteotomy level under a cyclic load of 1400 N applied to the femoral head. In both the cemented and the uncemented cases, the femoral head shifted irreversibly in the caudal direction and tilted into a varus position. Movements of the femoral head in other directions were mainly reversible and small. The irreversible movement of the femoral head was significantly larger, approximately twice as great, following uncemented DHS fixation than after cemented fixation. Most movement occurred during the first ten load cycles; higher load cycles did not increase the irreversible deformation in the cemented group, but in the uncemented group a further increase in deformation was detected. These results indicate that internal fixation of unstable intertrochanteric femoral fractures can be significantly improved by the use of cement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The evaluation of 174 humeral shaft fractures treated operatively in our institution and a literature review are used to illustrate the indications for operative treatment. For some indications, the authors prefer Hackethal's bundle nails. A simple operative technique and a small approach incision far distant from the fracture site, which prevents the fracture hematoma, and the very low complication rate are the advantages of this method, making it an alternative to plating and even to bracing. Operative treatment is clearly indicated for compound fractures grades II and III. As the humerus--unlike the tibia--has a good soft tissue envelope, plating can be carried out without the danger of insufficient soft tissue coverage. Complete radial palsy is also an indication for primary operative nerve revision, followed by stable osteosynthesis, preferably with plate. In our series primary radial palsies were observed in 47 (27%) of cases; on revision we found 5 cases of nerve division and 2 of impingement between fragments. Further absolute indications are the rare injuries to the brachial artery, bilateral fractures, and combination with a forearm fracture ("floating elbow"). Closed fractures without concomitant injuries can generally be managed conservatively. We have treated 84 of these fractures with Hackethal's nails. The only serious complications were one non-union (1.2%) and one deep infection (1.2%).

The unreamed femoral nail system (UFN) features highly versatile proximal interlocking options for the treatment of a wide range of femoral fracture patterns and combinations. Besides standard interlocking modes for diaphyseal fractures, special interlocking options for subtrochanteric fractures and ipsilateral neck/shaft fractures are available. Two aiming arms can be attached to the insertion handle of the nail in a modular fashion. The standard aiming arm is designed for transverse static or dynamic locking. The special aiming arm permits spiral blade, 130 degrees, and miss-a-nail interlocking. From August 1992 to July 1994, in 10 out of 55 UFN implantations the special interlocking options were used. In 9 subtrochanteric fractures the spiral blade interlocking and in one ipsilateral neck/shaft fracture the miss-a-nail cancellous screw interlocking was applied. ASIF type A fractures with closed soft tissue damage prevailed. Fracture healing was uneventful and no implant complications or loss of reduction have been observed.

For closed diaphyseal fractures of femur and tibia in adults, medullary nailing with interlocking nails has become the treatment of choice. Their use has been extended to certain intraarticular fractures in combination with shaft fractures, compound fractures with low-grade wound contamination, malunion, non-union and pathologic fractures. Locked nailing should be performed as a closed procedure, and callus bone healing should be expected. Fracture hematoma, drill debris and preservation of periosteal circulation are of particular relevance in achieving this. Dynamization by removal of the locking screw(s) opposite the fracture site accelerates the transformation and ossification of early fixation callus.

Two factors--generally increased life expectancy with a higher risk of malignant disease and improved survival rates among cancer patients--have led to a steady increase in the incidence of metastatic bone disease over the past 20 years. There is little controversy about the need for ORIF in the case of pathological fractures, but special techniques are necessary to achieve immediate and lasting stability in the presence of frequently extensive bone destruction. Metastatic bone lesions that involve the risk of fracture should preferably be stabilized prophylactically before further treatment in the form of radiation or chemotherapy. Special techniques of composite osteosyntheses for the long bones and particularly for composite reconstructions of acetabular lesions are listed.

A case is reported of a 6-year-old boy with acute pyogenic osteomyelitis. A delay in making the diagnosis or inadequate early treatment led to chronic osteomyelitis. A delay in making a diagnosis is the most important factor in the prognosis of acute osteomyelitis. Sophisticated techniques are only indicated to detect and confirm the nature of the lesion, but they should not delay identification of the causative organisms. In our case, the diagnosis was delayed, and there was complete sequestration of the femur shaft as a result of insufficient early treatment. After diagnosis, the initial step was surgical debridement. After complete necrotomy, continuous irrigation with suction drainage was begun. To fill the defect and accelerate bone reconstruction, we performed an autogenous graft taking the 8th rib and splitting it into nine fragments. After identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the causative organism, parenteral antibiotic therapy was begun and maintained. Nine weeks after admission, the boy was able to leave the hospital. Ten weeks later he was examined in the outpatient clinic and was walking and running quite normally. To date, there has been no recurrence of the infection.