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In minipigs little is known about the concentration of growth factors in plasma, despite their major role in several patho-physiological processes such as healing of fractures. This prompted us to study the concentration of platelets and selected growth factors in plasma and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) preparation of sixteen Goettingen minipigs. Platelet concentrations increased significantly in PRP in comparison to native blood plasma. Generally, significant increase in the concentration of all growth factors tested was observed in the PRP in comparison to the corresponding plasma or serum. Five of the plasma samples examined contained detectable levels of bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP-2) whereas eleven of the plasma or serum samples contained minimal amounts of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-bb) respectively. On the other hand variable concentrations of bone morphogenic protein 7 (BMP-7) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) were measured in all plasma samples. In contrast, all PRP samples contained significantly increased amounts of growth factors. The level of BMP-2, BMP-7, TGF-β1, VEGF and PDGF-bb increased by 17.6, 1.5, 7.1, 7.2 and 103.3 fold, in comparison to the corresponding non-enriched preparations. Moreover significant positive correlations were found between platelet count and the concentrations of BMP-2 (r=0.62, p

The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical results of the Headless Compression Screw (HCS, Synthes) when used for treatment of acute scaphoid waist fractures. The new screw design generates interfragmentary compression with use of a compression sleeve. Twenty-one patients were treated for acute scaphoid waist fractures type B2 with HCS screws. The average time to the final follow-up examination was 12.8 months. All 21 fractures united after a mean time of 7.2 weeks. The mean DASH score was 7.1. The average motion of the wrist in extension was 61°, flexion was 46°, radial abduction reached 25° and the ulnar abduction was 31°. The maximally achieved grip strength was 86% compared to the uninjured side. Treatment of type B2 scaphoid fractures with the Headless Compression Screw showed good functional and radiographic results. The results are similar to those identified using other screw fixation systems.

Background. The impact of time (the golden period of trauma) on the outcome of severely injured patients has been well known for a long time. While the duration of the prehospital phase has changed only slightly (average time: ~66 min) since the TraumaRegister DGU® (TR-DGU®) was implemented, mortality rates have decreased within the last 20 years. This study analyzed the influence of prehospital time on the outcome of trauma patients in a matched-triplet analysis. Material and Methods. A total of 93,024 patients from the TraumaRegister DGU® were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: ISS ≥ 16, primary admission, age ≥ 16 years, and data were available for the following variables: prehospital intubation, blood pressure, mode of transportation, and age. The patients were assigned to one of three groups: group 1: 10-50 min (short emergency treatment time); group 2: 51-75 min (intermediate emergency treatment time); group 3: >75 min (long emergency treatment time). A matched-triplet analysis was conducted; matching was based on the following criteria: intubation at the accident site, rescue resources, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) of the body regions, systolic blood pressure, year of the accident, and age. Results. A total of 4,617 patients per group could be matched. The number of patients with a GCS score ≤8 was significantly higher in the first group (group 1: 36.6%, group 2: 33.5%, group 3: 30.3%; p < 0.001). Moreover, the number of patients who had to be resuscitated during the prehospital phase and/or upon arrival at the hospital was higher in group 1 (p = 0.010); these patients also had a significantly higher mortality (group 1: 20.4%, group 2: 18.1%, group 3: 15.9%; p ≤ 0.001). The number of measures performed during the prehospital phase (e.g., chest tube insertion) increased with treatment time. Conclusions. The results suggest that survival after severe trauma is not only a matter of short rescue time but more a matter of well-used rescue time including performance of vital measures already in the prehospital setting. This also includes that rescue teams identify the severity of injuries more rapidly in the most-severely injured patients in critical condition than in less-severely injured patients and plan their interventions accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of preoperative templating in total hip arthroplasty (THA) using conventional 2-dimensional (2D) and computed tomography (CT)-based 3-dimensional (3D) measures. Methods: One hundred and sixteen consecutive primary THAs were analysed. The preoperative diagnosis was primary osteoarthritis in all cases. The 2D templating and the 3D templating were performed by two different residents. All templating results were available for the orthopaedic surgeon performing the procedure. Accuracies with regard to the predicted and actual implant sizes were determined for each procedure. Implantation of the size as planned was defined as "exact", whereas the use of components within one size larger or smaller (±1) as planned were defined as "accurate." Results: The 3D templating was significantly more accurate in predicting implant sizing compared to 2D templating for primary total hip arthroplasty (THA). The difference was statistically significant for the cup templating ("exact" p = 0.02; "accurate" p = 0.01) and for the stem templating ("exact" p = 0.04; "accurate" p = 0.01). Conclusion: Our results support the superiority of 3D templating over 2D templating in predicting implant size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The metacarpophalangeal joints exhibit range of motion that is influenced by wrist position. Synergistic motion occurs between the wrist and the metacarpophalangeal joints with different static wrist positions affecting joints' motion capability. The aim of this study was to determine how different wrist positions influence the active range of motion of the index through small finger metacarpophalangeal joints. Methods: The active range of motion of the index through small finger metacarpophalangeal joints of 31 healthy subjects was measured in flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation in 5 different flexion/extension wrist positions, using biaxial electrogoniometers. Results: There was a difference in range of motion of all fingers depending on the wrist position. The minimum metacarpophalangeal joint range of motion was found in 80° wrist extension, the maximum in neutral wrist position. For the index finger, flexion/extension was 84.7° (±8.6°) to 25.9° (±10.2°) and radial/ulnar deviation was 32.1° (±11.3°) to 22.6° (±12.8°). For the middle finger, flexion/extension was 84.8° (±8.5°) to 25.9° (±10.1°) and radial/ulnar deviation 28.8° (±11.1°) to 22.1° (±8.9). The fourth finger showed a range of motion for flexion/extension of 87.2° (±11.5°) to 22.8° (±11.6°) and radial/ulnar deviation of 8.1° (±5.8°) to 32.3° (±12.4°). The highest range of motion was measured at the fifth finger with flexion/extension of 84.0° (±8.6°) to 32.1°(±16.8°) and radial/ulnar deviation of 15.1° (±12.9°) up to 54.6° (±18.7°). Conclusions: The range of motion of the index through small finger metacarpophalangeal joints was significantly influenced by wrist position. The highest metacarpophalangeal joint range of motion of all fingers was conducted in neutral wrist positions. Apart from ergonomic implications, we conclude that metacarpophalangeal joint motion should be assessed under standardized wrist positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The study aimed to estimate excess mortality in patients aged 60 years or older up to 1 year after pelvic fracture compared with a population without pelvic fracture. In this retrospective population-based observational study, we use routine data from a large health insurance in Germany. For each patient with a first pelvic fracture between 2008 and 2010 ( n = 5685 cases, 82% female, mean age 80 ± 9 years), about 34 individuals without pelvic fracture ( n = 193,159 controls) were frequency matched by sex, age at index date, and index month. We estimated survival probabilities in the first year after the index date separated for cases (further stratified into inpatient/outpatient treated or minor/major pelvic fractures) and controls using Kaplan-Meier curves. Additionally, time-dependent hazard ratios (HRs) measuring excess mortality in 4-week intervals up to 52 weeks were estimated by fitting Cox regression models including adjustment for relevant confounders. Twenty-one percent of cases and 11% of controls died within 1 year. HRs (95% confidence intervals) decreased from 3.9 (3.5-4.5) within the first 4 weeks to 1.4 (1.1-1.9) within weeks 49 to 52 after the index date. After full adjustment, HRs lowered substantially (3.0 [2.6-3.4] and 1.0 [0.8-1.4]) but were still significantly increased up to week 32. Adjusted HRs in women were lower than in men: 2.8 (2.4-3.2) and 1.0 (0.7-1.4) versus 3.8 (2.9-5.0) and 1.2 (0.6-2.3). We found a clear excess mortality among older people in the first 8 months after pelvic fracture even after full adjustment. Excess mortality was higher among men in the beginning as well as for inpatient-treated persons. Absence of excess mortality was noticed for outpatient-treated persons within the first 3 months. When broken down into site-specific data, excess mortality was no longer significant for most pelvic fractures classified as minor. The only exception was fracture of pubis within the first 4 weeks. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severely displaced supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children are frequently associated with complications including neurovascular injuries, non-union, or compartment syndrome. In the current literature, no report exists about postoperative brachial artery entrapment in combination with an inconspicuous preoperative neurovascular examination.Case Presentation: We present a case of a 6-year-old white boy with a pulseless radial and ulnar artery after open reduction and internal fixation of a severely displaced supracondylar fracture of his right humerus (Gartland type III) using four K-wires. Remarkably, the preoperative neurovascular examination was inconspicuous. Doppler ultrasound of his brachial artery revealed no pulse when his elbow was in flexion and a faint pulse when it was in full extension 10 hours postoperatively. Revision surgery was performed immediately. On intraoperative examination, a kinking of his brachial artery caused by an entrapment of the tunica externa in the reduced fracture was seen and the artery was released by microsurgical arteriolysis immediately. At the final follow-up examination, positive palpable pulse with good capillary filling and, according to Flynn's criteria, an excellent recovery of elbow function was observed 3 months postoperatively.Conclusions: This case demonstrates a rare complication of postoperative artery entrapment with inconspicuous preoperative neurovascular examination. It strongly emphasizes the need for a standardized postoperative neurovascular assessment with fully flexed as well as fully extended elbow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone defects remain a challenge for patients and orthopaedic surgeons. Autologous transfer of cancellous bone grafts remains the standard of care. However, in recent years various osteoinductive substitute materials, such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) have been shown to improve bone healing. This study evaluates the effects of a combined application of PRP and HBO with autologous bone grafting in an animal model. In 48 New Zealand White rabbits bone defects at the radius were filled with autologous bone harvested at the iliac crest. This was combined with application of autologous PRP and/or HBO treatment for the duration of this study. After 3 and 6 weeks histomorphometric, immunohistochemical and radiologic evaluations were performed. All animals tolerated the treatment well. Improved bone regeneration was shown in all groups at 6 weeks compared to 3 weeks. Additional application of PRP and HBO resulted in an increase in new bone formation and increased neovascularization at 3 and 6 weeks. There was no statistical significant difference between PRP and HBO application in these regards. A combinatory use of PRP and HBO resulted in an increased bone regeneration and neovascularization compared to all other groups. This study provides evidence for an improvement of bone regeneration with the combinatory application of PRP and HBO to autologous cancellous bone grafts in a model of weight bearing bone defects in rabbits. Also synergistic effects of these two measures on angiogenesis were evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological data about pelvic fractures are limited. Until today, most studies only analyzed inpatient data. The purpose of this study was to estimate incidence rates of pelvic fractures in the German population aged 60 years or older, based on outpatient and inpatient data. We conducted a retrospective population-based observational study based on routine data from a large health insurance company in Germany. Age and sex-specific incidence rates of first fractures between 2008 and 2011 were calculated. We also standardized incidence rates with respect to age and sex in the German population. Multiple Poisson regression models were used to evaluate the association between the risk of first pelvic fracture as outcome and sex, age, calendar year and region as independent variables. The total number of patients with a first pelvic fracture corresponded to 8,041 and during the study period 5,978 insured persons needed inpatient treatment. Overall, the standardized incidence rate of all first pelvic fractures was 22.4 [95% CI 22.0–22.9] per 10,000 person-years, and the standardized incidence rate of inpatient treated fractures 16.5 [16.1–16.9]. Our adjusted regression analysis confirmed a significant sex (RR 2.38 [2.23–2.55], p < 0.001, men as reference) and age effect (higher risk with increasing age, p < 0.001) on first fracture risk. We found a slight association between calendar year (higher risk in later years compared to 2008, p = 0.0162) and first fracture risk and a further significant association with region (RR 0.92 [0.87–0.98], p = 0.006, Westfalen-Lippe as reference). The observed incidences are considerably higher than incidences described in the international literature, even if only inpatient treated pelvic fractures are regarded. Besides which, non-inclusion of outpatient data means that a relevant proportion of pelvic fractures are not taken into account. Prevention of low energy trauma among older people remains an important issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Systemic capillary leak syndrome is a rare and life threatening disease characterized by periodic episodes of hypovolemic shock due to leakage of plasma from the intravascular to the extravascular space. It is associated with hemoconcentration, hypoalbuminemia, and generalized edema. We report the case of a patient with idiopathic systemic capillary leak syndrome who developed an unexpected and potentially fatal abdominal and four-limb compartment syndrome. This was successfully treated with fasciotomies and medical treatment including terbutaline, theophylline, and corticosteroids. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of this kind in the literature. Case presentation A previously healthy 54-year-old Caucasian man presented to the emergency department of our internal medicine ward with a medical history of aggravation of general health related to dizziness, weight gain, and two syncopal attacks. Due to a massive emission of fluids and proteins from the intravascular to the extracellular compartments, he developed compartment syndromes in his upper and lower limbs and the abdominal compartment. The abdomen and all four limbs required decompression by a fasciotomy of both forearms, both thighs, both lower legs, and the abdomen within 24 hours after admission. After 60 days of treatment he was dismissed from the clinic. He was able to return to his previous occupation and reached the same level of athletic activity as before the illness. Conclusions Systemic capillary leak syndrome is a very rare disease that can lead to a fatal clinical outcome. It is important to be aware of the fatal complications that can be caused by this disease. Despite the fact that systemic capillary leak syndrome represents a very rare disease it is still important to be aware of life threatening complications, like compartment syndromes, which need surgical intervention. However, early diagnosis and interdisciplinary treatment can lead to a good clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One possible alternative to the application of autologous bone grafts represents the use of autologous bone marrow concentrate (BMC). The purpose of our study was to evaluate the potency of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in combination with BMC. In 32 mini-pigs a metaphyseal critical-size defect was surgically created at the proximal tibia. The animals were allocated to four treatment groups of eight animals each (1. BMC+CPG group, 2. BMC+CPG+PRP group, 3. autograft group, 4. CPG group). In the BMC+CPG group the defect was filled with autologous BMC in combination with calcium phosphate granules (CPG), whereas in the BMC+CPG+PRP group the defect was filled with the composite of autologous BMC, CPG and autologous PRP. In the autograft group the defect was filled with autologous cancellous graft, whereas in the CPG group the defect was filled with CPG solely. After 6 weeks radiological and histomorphometrical analysis showed significantly more new bone formation in the BMC+CPG+PRP group compared to the BMC+CPG group and the CPG group. There were no significant differences between the BMC+CPG+PRP group and the autograft group. In the PRP platelets were enriched significantly about 4.7-fold compared to native blood. In BMC the count of mononuclear cells increased significantly (3.5-fold) compared to the bone marrow aspirate. This study demonstrates that the composite of BMC+CPG+PRP leads to a significantly higher bone regeneration of critical-size defects at the proximal tibia in mini-pigs than the use of BMC+CPG without PRP. Furthermore, within the limits of the present study the composite BMC+CPG+PRP represents a comparable alternative to autologous bone grafting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: All available treatment options for osteochondral and chondral defects do not restore hyaline cartilage and are limited to decreasing associated pain, and maintaining or improving joint function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of erythropoietin (EPO) in combination with bone marrow aspiration concentrate (BMAC) in the treatment of osteochondral defects of mini-pigs. Methods: 14 Goettinger mini-pigs, in which a 6×10 mm osteochondral defect in the medial femoral condyle of both knee joints was created, were randomized into four groups: biphasic scaffold alone, scaffold with EPO, scaffold with BMAC and scaffold in combination with EPO and BMAC. After 26 weeks all animals were euthanized and histological slides were evaluated using a modified ÓDriscoll Score. Results: In the therapy groups, areas of chondrogenic tissue that contained collagen II were present. Adding EPO (p = 0.245) or BMAC (p = 0.099) alone to the scaffold led to a non-significant increase in the score compared to the control group. However, the combination of EPO and BMAC in the implanted scaffold showed a significant improvement (p = 0.02) in the histological score. Conclusion: The results of our study show that in mini-pigs, the combination of EPO and BMAC leads to an enhanced osteochondral healing. However, additional research is necessary to further improve the repair tissue and to define the role of MSCs and EPO in cartilage repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bone marrow aspiration concentrate (BMAC) may possess a high potency for cartilage and osseous defect healing because it contains stem cells and multiple growth factors. Alternatively, platelet rich plasma (PRP), which contains a cocktail of multiple growth factors released from enriched activated thrombocytes may potentially stimulate the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in bone marrow to proliferate and differentiate. Methods: A critical size osteochondral defect (10×6 mm) in both medial femoral condyles was created in 14 Goettinger mini-pigs. All animals were randomized into the following four groups: biphasic scaffold alone (TRUFIT BGS, Smith & Nephew, USA), scaffold with PRP, scaffold with BMAC and scaffold in combination with BMAC and PRP. After 26 weeks all animals were euthanized and histological slides were cut, stained and evaluated using a histological score and immunohistochemistry. Results: The thrombocyte number was significantly increased (p = 0.049) in PRP compared to whole blood. In addition the concentration of the measured growth factors in PRP such as BMP-2, BMP-7, VEGF, TGF-β1 and PDGF were significantly increased when compared to whole blood (p<0.05). In the defects of the therapy groups areas of chondrogenic tissue were present, which stained blue with toluidine blue and positively for collagen type II. Adding BMAC or PRP in a biphasic scaffold led to a significant improvement of the histological score compared to the control group, but the combination of BMAC and PRP did not further enhance the histological score. Conclusions: The clinical application of BMAC or PRP in osteochondral defect healing is attractive because of their autologous origin and cost-effectiveness. Adding either PRP or BMAC to a biphasic scaffold led to a significantly better healing of osteochondral defects compared with the control group. However, the combination of both therapies did not further enhance healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The assessment of spinal deformities with rasterstereography can enhance the understanding, as well as can reduce the number of x-rays needed. However, to date this technique only allows measurements under static conditions. Since it would be of great value to be able to also analyze the spine in dynamic conditions, the present study evaluated a novel rasterstereographic system. Materials and Methods: A new rasterstereographic device was evaluated in a comparison with the gold standard in motion analysis, the VICON system. After initial testing using 12 flat infrared markers adhered to a solid plate, the two systems were evaluated with the markers adhered onto the backs of 8 test subjects. Four triangles were defined using the markers, and the sides of each triangle were measured under static and dynamic conditions. Results: On the solid plate, the sides of the 4 triangles were measured with a measuring tape and then by the two optical systems. Rasterstereography showed a high accuracy in marker detection on the solid plate. Under dynamic conditions, with the subjects walking on a treadmill, the rasterstereographically-measured side lengths were compared with the lengths measured by the VICON system as an assessment of marker detection. No significant differences (p>0.05) were found between the systems, differing only 0.07–1.1% for all sides of the four triangles with both systems. Discussion: A novel rasterstereographic measurement device that allows surface and spine topography under dynamic conditions was assessed. The accuracy of this system was with one millimeter on a solid plate and during dynamic measurements, to the gold standard for motion detection. The advantage of rasterstereography is that it can be used to determine a three-dimensional surface map and also allows the analysis of the underlying spine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The management of knee osteoarthritis includes the use of wedged shoe insoles to unload the affected knee compartment. Although the biomechanical effects of shoe insoles on the knee joint are known and described, only little is known about their influence on the pelvis and spine. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of different foot positions, such as how they could be achieved by shoe insoles, on pelvic position and spinal posture. Methods A total of 51 test subjects were measured for this study. The different foot positions (inner and outer margin increase, positive and negative heel height) were simulated with a specially designed stand platform. A rasterstereographic device was used to measure the immediate effects of the simulated foot positions on the pelvic position and spinal posture. Results Positive and negative heel heights as well as an increase of the outer margin of the platform led to significant changes of the pelvic tilt. The pelvic torsion also changed significantly during positive heel height changes of 10 and 15 mm and increases of the outer margin of the foot. No significant changes were found between foot position and spinal parameters. Conclusion The results of our study support the existence of a kinematic chain, where changes of foot position also led to significant alterations of the pelvic position. Whether these changes could lead to long-term pathologic alterations still needs to be evaluated. However, in our setting, no correlation between foot position and spinal posture changes was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a promoter of bone healing remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PRP in combination with calcium phosphate granules (CPG) on bone defect healing in a metaphyseal long bone defect. A metaphyseal bone defect at the proximal tibia of 16 mini-pigs was filled with CPG combined with autologous PRP or CPG solely (control group). The PRP showed 4.4-fold more platelets compared to peripheral blood. Six weeks after surgery the radiological and histomorphometrical evaluations showed significantly more bone formation in the PRP group in the central area of the defect zone ( p < 0.01) as well as the cortical defect zone ( p < 0.04). Furthermore, the resorption rate of CPG was increased in animals who received PRP. Nevertheless there were only isolated instances of complete osseous bridging of the bone defects even in the PRP group. This study demonstrates that a PRP-CPG composit promotes bone regeneration but does not lead to a solid fusion of a tibial defect in mini-pigs. © 2010 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:1448-1455, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study comparing the proximal femoral nails Targon PF (Aesculap, Tuttlingen, Germany) and Proximal Femoral Nail Antirotation (PFNA; Synthes. Oberdorf, Switzerland) was to observe the complications and postoperative results following pertrochanteric femoral fracture fi xation, with special attention devoted to the dynamic properties of both implants under physiological load in vivo. The surveywas designed as a randomized, prospective study of 80 patients who had sustained a pertrochanteric femoral fracture (AO type 31.A2). Postoperative radiological and clinical examinations were conducted over a period of 12 months on 40 respective patients treated with a PFNA or a Targon PF nail. Average operative time was 66.2minutes and average fluoroscopy time was 103.6 seconds in the PFNA group, which was significantly lower than in the Targon PF group (84.7 minutes and 164.5 seconds, respectively). No significant difference was found between the 2 groups in terms of range of motion (P.26) or Harris Hip Score (P.83). The femoral neck components of the Targon PF showed a signifi cantly higher sliding ability (14.5 mm; P.04) than the PFNA (11.1 mm). Both implants are suited to treat pertrochanteric femoral fractures and display comparable clinical results. The Targon PF demonstrates better dynamic properties than the PFNA under physiological load in vivo. A disadvantage of the Targon PF, however, is the more complicated surgical technique and the longer operative time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Isolated fractures of the ossa cuneiformia are rare fractures of the foot and they usually occur in the context of a direct trauma. We report about a patient with a dislocation of the midfoot and concomitant fractures of the cuneiforme bones I–III due a car traffic accident. X-rays of the foot confirmed a lateral dislocation of the midfoot with multiple fractures of all ossa cuneiformia. An anterior-longitudinal approach was performed to access the ossa cuneiformia and the bases of the metatarsalia. Comminuted fractures of all ossa cuneiformia, a dislocation of the metatarsal bones I–III and a disruption of the Lisfranc ligament were found. The metatarsal bones I–III were stabilized by K-wires through the bases of the metatarsal bones into the os cuneiform. 6 months later the patient reached 92 points in the AOFAS-Score which correlates with a very good clinical result. We recommend a CT scan for the assessment of this injury since of the complex anatomy of the midfoot. Aim of all surgical procedures should be the restoration of anatomy, in particular of the longitudinal and the diagonal arch of the foot. The anterior, longitudinal approach provides a good overview and permits a direct access even to comminuted fractures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: Cinematic rendering (CR), a recently launched, FDA-approved rendering technique converts CT image datasets into nearly photorealistic 3D reconstructions by using a unique lighting model. The purpose of this study was to compare CR to volume rendering technique (VRT) images in the preoperative visualization of multifragmentary intraarticular lower extremity fractures.Method: In this retrospective study, CT datasets of 41 consecutive patients (female: n = 13; male: n = 28; mean age: 52.3 ± 17.9y) with multifragmentary intraarticular lower extremity fractures (calcaneus: n = 16; tibial pilon: n = 19; acetabulum: n = 6) were included. All datasets were acquired using a 128-row dual-source CT. A dedicated workstation was used to reconstruct CR and VRT images which were reviewed independently by two experienced board-certified traumatologists trained in special trauma surgery. Image quality, anatomical accuracy and fracture visualization were assessed on a 6-point-Likert-scale (1 = non-diagnostic; 6=excellent). The regular CT image reconstructions served as reverence standard. For each score, median values between both readers were calculated. Scores of both reconstruction methods were compared using a Wilcoxon-Ranksum test with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Inter-reader agreement was calculated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.Results: Compared to VRT, CR demonstrated a higher image quality (VRT:2.5; CR:6.0; p < 0.001), a higher anatomical accuracy (VRT:3.5; CR:5.5; p < 0.001) and provided a more detailed visualization of the fracture (VRT:2.5; CR:6.0; p < 0.001). An additional benefit of CR reconstructions compared to VRT reconstructions was reported by both readers in 65.9 % (27/41) of all patients.Conclusions: CR reconstructions are superior to VRT due to higher image quality and higher anatomical accuracy. Traumatologists find CR reconstructions to improve visualization of lower extremity fractures which should thus be used for fracture demonstration during interdisciplinary conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]