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【Abstract】Objective: To comparatively analyze the medical records of patients with limb fractures as well as rescue strategy in Wenchuan and Yushu earthquakes so as to provide references for post-earthquake rescue. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 944 patients sustaining limb fractures, including 891 in Wenchuan earth-quake and 53 in Yushu earthquake, who were admitted to West China Hospital (WCH) of Sichuan University. Results: In Wenchuan earthquake, WCH met its three peaks of limb fracture patients influx, on post-earthquake day (PED) 2, 8 and 14 respectively. Between PED 3-14, 585 patients were transferred from WCH to other hospitals out-side the Sichuan Province. In Yushu earthquake, the maxi-mum influx of limb fracture patients happened on PED 3, and no one was shifted to other hospitals. Both in Wenchuan and Yushu earthquakes, most limb fractures were caused by blunt strike and crush/burying. In Wenchuan earthquake, there were 396 (396/942, 42.0%) open limb fractures, includ-ing 28 Gustilo I, 201 Gustilo II and 167 Gustilo III injuries. But in Yushu earthquake, the incidence of open limb frac-ture was much lower (6/61, 9.8%). The percent of patients with acute complications in Wenchuan earthquake (167/891, 18.7%) was much higher than that in Yushu earthquake (5/53, 3.8%). In Wenchuan earthquake rescue, 1 018 surgeries were done, composed of debridement in 376, internal fixation in 283, external fixation in 119, and vacuum sealing drainage in 117, etc. While among the 64 surgeries in Yushu earthquake rescue, the internal fixation for limb fracture was mostly adopted. All patients received proper treatment and sur-vived except one who died due to multiple organs failure in Wenchuan earthquake. Conclusion: Provision of suitable and sufficient medi-cal care in a catastrophe can only be achieved by construc-tion of sophisticated national disaster medical system, pre-diction of the injury types and number of injuries, and con-firmation of participating hospitals’ exact role. Based on the valuable rescue experiences after Wenchuan earthquake, the rescue was faster, more orderly and effective in Yushu earthquake. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go in the development of a stronger emergent response to the disasters. Key words: Earthquakes; Extremities; Fractures, bone; Disaster medicine

【Abstract】 Harms technique of C1-C2 fixation for atlantoaxial complex becomes more popular due to good fusion rate and low vertebral artery injury (VAI) rate. But considering the unique and variable anatomy of atlanto-axial complex, iatrogenic VAI will result in catastrophic con-sequences and provides particular surgical challenges for surgeons. To our knowledge, comparing with iatrogenic VAI in the screw hole, iatrogenic VAI in the “open space” is much rarer during the Harms technique of C1-C2 fixation. In this article, we present a case of iatrogenic vertebral artery pseudoaneurysm after Harms technique of posterior C1-C2 fixation. This case of iatrogenic VAI effectively treated by endovascular coil occlusion and external local compression was initially misdiagnosed as VAI by pedicle screw perforation. It can be concluded that intraoperative or post-operative computed angiography is very helpful to diag-nose the exact site of VAI and the combination of endovascular coil occlusion as well as external local com-pression can further prevent bleeding and abnormal verte-bral artery flow in the pseudoaneurysm. However, patients treated require further follow-up to confirm that there is no recurrence of the pseudoaneurysm. Key words: Vertebral artery; Aneurysm, false; Endovascular procedures

Objective: The nanohydroxyapatite/polyamide‐66 (n‐HA/PA66) cage is a novel bioactive nonmetal cage that is now used in some medical centers, while the polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage is a typical device that has been widely used for decades with excellent clinical outcomes. This study was performed to compare the long‐term radiographic and clinical outcomes of these two different cages used in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Methods: In this retrospective and matched‐pair case control study, we included 200 patients who underwent TLIF from January 2010 to December 2014 with a minimum 7‐year follow‐up. One hundred patients who used n‐HA/PA66 cages were matched with 100 patients who used PEEK cages for age, sex, diagnosis, and fusion level. The independent student's t‐test and Pearson's chi‐square test were used to compare the two groups regarding radiographic (fusion status, cage subsidence rate, segmental angle [SA], and interbody space height [IH]) and clinical (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI], and Visual Analog Scale [VAS] for back and leg) parameters preoperatively, postoperatively, and at the final follow‐up. Results: The n‐HA/PA66 and PEEK groups had similar fusion rates of bone inside and outside the cage at the final follow‐up (95.3% vs 91.8%, p = 0.181, 92.4% vs 90.1%, p = 0.435). The cage union ratios exposed to the upper and lower endplates of the n‐HA/PA66 group were significantly larger than those of the PEEK group (p < 0.05). The respective cage subsidence rates in the n‐HA/PA66 and PEEK groups were 10.5% and 17.5% (p = 0.059). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the SA, IH, ODI scores, or VAS scores at any time point. The n‐HA/PA66 group showed high fusion and low subsidence rates during long‐term follow‐up. Conclusion: Both n‐HA/PA66 and PEEK cages can achieve satisfactory long‐term clinical and radiographic outcomes in TLIF. However, the n‐HA/PA66 group showed significantly larger cage union ratios than the PEEK group. Therefore, the results indicated that the n‐HA/PA66 cage is an ideal alternative material comparable to the PEEK cage in TLIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]