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Shoulder disorders are common in the general population : they occur in about 25 of every 1000 patients per year. A rather large majority are caused by cuff disorders. Differentiating between impingement and cuff rupture is essential to adequate treatment. Clinical tests have been developed, but their accuracy is limited. This study was performed to improve clinical accuracy by combining single tests and adding a subacromial injection. We postulated that the empty can and drop arm tests would result in higher sensitivity and specificity after subacromial injection., Method: We prospectively assessed 49 patients with the empty can and drop arm tests and used ultrasound to compare the individual and combined results., Result: The ultrasound found six cuff ruptures. Specificity improved and sensitivity decreased after subacromial injection., Conclusion: Only specificity improved after subacromial injection. Combining the test results led to an increase in both sensitivity and specificity without injection.

A haematogenous infection of a joint prosthesis is rare, but the consequences can be very serious. For that reason, guidelines issued by medical professional organizations for antibiotic prophylaxis in treatments which involve risk have long existed. On the basis of experience in the United States and the Netherlands, it is clear that successive guidelines sometimes contradict each other and are often not appropriately applied in daily practice. This may be due to insufficient clarity concerning the most important patient risk factors. It remains, for example, unclear when there is a question of reduced immunity in the patient and when the oral region has to be considered to be infected. An appeal is made to follow the existing guidelines better, and, if possible, to achieve a more multidisciplinary revision of the guidelines 'Total hip prosthesis, so that they would be more widely adhered to.

Treatment of infection in clinical orthopaedic and trauma care is a time consuming and costly endeavour. More than once, it will lead to extraction of implant material and additional surgical interventions. Currently, debridement, implantation of PMMA beads impregnated with antibiotics most often with implant exchange are the gold standard for deep infection treatment. Recently bone graft substitute materials such as calcium phosphate, collagen fleeces and bioglasses have appeared for specific use in infection treatment. Although these materials show great potential, their supporting level of evidence is still limited. This review paper provides an overview of current understanding and therapies for infection treatment and provides concepts for the use of new developed biomaterials in infection treatment. Furthermore, the benefits and risks of using biomaterials in infection treatment are discussed and the level of evidence of a number of new materials is presented., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Under certain circumstances, patients with a prosthetic joint and a focal infection elsewhere in the body may be at risk of developing bacterial infection of the prosthesis. Patients and physicians should actively prevent infections that can spread systemically. Routine antibiotic prophylaxis is not recommended for all patients with a prosthetic joint and suspected bacteraemia. Antibiotic prophylaxis is warranted in three groups of patients with a prosthetic joint who must undergo an invasive procedure that could cause bacteraemia: patients with a predisposing immunocompromising systemic condition or those receiving immunosuppressive therapy, patients with a dermatological infection, and patients with an obvious focal infection, e.g., urosepsis. If the patient is already receiving antibiotics for the infection, additional prophylaxis is usually unnecessary. For patients undergoing dental procedures who require antibiotic prophylaxis, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid or clindamycin are preferred.

Experimental pain research is often complicated by the absence of an objective and detailed method to analyze behavioral changes. In the present study, acute pain was induced into the right knee of the rat (n=15) through the injection of 2mg carrageenan (CAR) in saline. A control group received vehicle injection into the knee (n=15). With the use of an automated quantitative gait analysis system, the CatWalk, it was possible to quantitatively analyze behavioral changes at post-injection time 2.5, 4, 24 and 48h. The CatWalk analysis of individual paw parameters like the intensity of the paw print or the time contact with the floor showed a significant effect after CAR injection into the knee. These CatWalk parameters were highly correlated with von Frey data and thus representative for the development of mechanical allodynia. Furthermore, detailed CatWalk analysis of the gait (i.e. coordinated interaction between left and right hindlimb) showed very fine, accurate and significant coordination changes in the experimental rats from 4h post-injection. In conclusion, the CatWalk method allows an objective and detailed detection of both pain-induced gait adaptations as well as the development of mechanical allodynia in an acute inflammatory pain model.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of insole configurations on plantar pressures and on walking convenience in patients with diabetic neuropathy., Methods: Twelve different insole configurations were constructed for each of 20 patients with diabetic neuropathy. For this, different combinations of a metatarsal dome, varus and valgus wedges and arch supports with different heights were added on a fitted basic insole. Foot orthoses were evaluated while patients walked on a treadmill. Plantar pressure was measured with a Pedar Insole-system. Walking convenience was scored on a 10-point scale., Findings: For the central and medial regions, plantar pressure reductions (up to 36% and 39%, respectively) were found when using a dome, standard and extra supports. The largest reductions were achieved with combination of a dome and extra support. There were no statistically significant pressure reducing effects of the insole configurations in the big toe and lateral regions, except for the effect of the combination extra support/varus wedge (21%), and for a dome (10%), respectively. The basic insole and a standard support received the best ratings for walking convenience and gradually worsened by adding extra support, a varus wedge and a dome., Interpretation: A dome and the supports reduce plantar pressure in the central and medial forefoot. The combination of a dome and extra support seems to be the best choice for the construction of insoles. The results of this study are a step towards developing an evidence-based algorithm for the construction of optimal orthoses in therapeutic shoe design.

In the Dutch surveillance for surgical site infections (SSIs), data from 70277 orthopaedic procedures with 1895 SSIs were collected between 1996 and 2003. The aims of this study were: (1) to analyse the trends in SSIs associated with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; (2) to estimate patient-related risk factors for deep and superficial SSIs after all orthopaedic procedures, with special attention to primary total hip arthroplasty (THA); and (3) to analyse inherent differences in infection risk between hospitals. A random effect model was used to estimate the odds ratios of patient-related risk factors for developing an SSI, and to describe the distribution of the most widespread bacterial species responsible for SSIs among hospitals. Gram-positive organisms, mainly staphylococci, were the main cause of both deep (84.0%) and superficial SSIs (69.1%) after orthopaedic procedures. The percentage of SSIs after THA caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci decreased over the surveillance period, while the contribution of Staphylococcus aureus increased. Temporary elevations in the incidence of the most widespread pathogen species were observed within hospitals. Patient-related factors such as the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System risk index or age had little effect on the predictive power of the random effect models. This study underlines the usefulness of a random effect model, which adjusts risk estimates for random variation between hospitals, in a multicentre study on risk factors for SSIs.

Two men, aged 24 and 52 years, developed neurogenic heterotopic ossifications of the hip, the first following a cervical spinal-cord injury and the second after prolonged artificial ventilation following bowel surgery. The stiffness caused problems when sitting and when performing general daily activities; the second patient who was ambulatory, also had problems walking. CT investigation clearly showed the localisation of the ossifications. After surgical removal of the ossifications both patients were able to sit for longer periods without low-back pain and the ambulatory function of the second patient was much improved. Indomethacin was given postoperatively and no recurrence of the ossification was seen. A number of per- and postoperative complications are associated with the surgical removal of neurogenic heterotopic ossifications of the hip. These include damage to surrounding structures and infection. However taking into account the improved range of movement and increased independence of the patient, it is a useful intervention for this debilitating condition.

Local antibiotic carriers are available as resorbable carriers (e.g. gentamicin-loaded collagen) and non resorbable carriers, mostly gentamicin-loaded bone cement in the form of beads or spacers. The release of the antibiotic may differ largely, depending on the properties of the carrier. In the use of spacers the release may remain too low, resulting in subinhibitory gentamicin concentrations. Revision of late deep infection of a knee prosthesis includes extraction, debridement and the use of local and systemic antibiotics. Reimplantation can be performed if healing is appropriate and the bone stock reaches. Otherwise arthrodesis is necessary.

We treated 100 patients having osteomyelitis with debridement and gentamicin-PMMA beads and followed them for 5 (1-12) years. 66 of the infections were chronic, in 18 cases combined with arthritis and in 3 cases with pseudarthrosis. They underwent 117 "treatment periods", consisting of one or more operations (total 152), in most cases with an interval of 2 weeks. No systemic antibiotics were necessary besides the local antibiotic treatment in 52 of the treatment periods. Healing was achieved in 92 patients, in 78 after a single treatment period which included 1-5 operations, in 14 after two or three treatment periods. Healing was more difficult to achieve when the infection was chronic, especially with a duration of more than 6 years or when caused by elective surgery. Local antibiotic treatment with gentamicin PMMA beads has the advantage that the wound can be closed primarily and that a higher local antibiotic concentration in the tissues can be achieved, often making systemic antibiotic treatment unnecessary.

Chronic osteomyelitis is characterized by cicatrization of the focus of infection with deteriorating vascularization, which makes the disease increasingly difficult to treat. The treatment in chronic osteomyelitis consists primarily in surgical debridement of the scarified focus of infection; stabilization with external fixation allows better treatment. Following debridement, local antibiotic treatment is possible with gentamicin containing cement beads, if necessary combined with systemic antibiotic treatment. If the infection heals well, a reconstruction may, if necessary, be carried out: bone defects frequently necessitate bone transplantation, bone segment shifting (Ilizarov method) or free muscle flap grafts. In the future, resistant bacteria will make healing harder. There will be more possibility to use resorbable antibiotic vehicles and bone-replacing biomaterials.

The purpose of this study was to develop a large animal model for chronic osteomyelitis, suitable for toxicologic research and therapeutic intervention studies. Osteomyelitis was induced in 52 healthy adult Texel sheep by injecting a sclerosing agent and a hemolytic strain of Staphylococcus aureus into the proximal tibial marrow cavity. Evaluation was done by clinical, radiologic, bacteriologic, and histologic parameters for 3 months. Clinical signs of infection consisted of localized soft tissue swelling, pain during the acute phase, and limping in all sheep. Radiologic features were moderate to extensive periosteal reaction, cortical lysis, mild to extensive new bone formation, and frequent development of sequestra limited to the proximal part of the tibia. Cultures were positive for the same strain of Staphylococcus aureus in all but one sheep. Histology showed chronic active inflammation, osteolysis, new woven bone formation, debris, clusters of bacteria, and surrounding granulation tissue. It was necessary to administer a single prophylactic dose of antibiotics 1 hour after surgery to prevent fatal sepsis. It was concluded that sheep are a suitable model for chronic osteomyelitis.

Intervertebral infection caused by Streptococcus milleri is described in a 45-year-old man. Initially, a tuberculous infection was suspected; this diagnosis resulted in a considerable delay in correct diagnosis and treatment. The patient recovered well with combined medical-surgical treatment. Streptococcus milleri, a common inhabitant of the gastrointestinal tract, comprises a variety of strains implicated in deep-seated purulent infections. Although reports of this are rare, S. milleri can be the offending organism in intervertebral disk infections.

In a prospective study of 134 consecutive patients treated for hip fracture, rehabilitation was influenced by sociomedical factors, but not by fracture type or treatment. Success of rehabilitation was to a large extent predictable using mental and general health status. Discharge of the patients to their prefracture residence was accurately predicted in 80/89 of successful and 11/28 of failed rehabilitations. Four months after the fracture, 86/92 successful and 11/17 failed rehabilitations were predicted. More accurate prediction of rehabilitation is limited by the complexity of the rehabilitation process.

Five patients treated with gentamicin-polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) beads were monitored during the treatment of nine to 14 days. Kinetic data of the gentamicin delivery were gathered constantly by multiple samples of blood and urine. The treatment with 48-360 beads caused a gentamicin serum concentration of 0.03-0.4 micrograms/ml and a renal excretion rate of 3-40 micrograms/min. The total amount of gentamicin excreted after the whole treatment was 20%-70%, with an in vivo half-life of 5.7-10 days. The gentamicin appeared to be released constantly during the entire treatment (nine to 14 days); the beads are kinetically slow release carriers. Despite precise measurement of tubular and glomerular renal function, no nephrotoxicity could be demonstrated. This local antibiotic gentamicin therapy may use the blood bone barrier effectively as a protection of the body against a very high local gentamicin concentration.

The renal clearances of creatinine and beta 2-microglobulin of patients with either normal or impaired kidney function were measured. The renal clearance of beta 2-microglobulin depends on the urinary pH and must be considered as an apparent renal clearance because after tubular reabsorption the compound is metabolized in the kidney. Impaired kidney function reduces the percentage of tubular reabsorption of beta 2-microglobulin.

Surgical trauma causes an increase in the renal excretion rate of beta 2-microglobulin whilst creatinine excretion is not influenced. The increase in the renal excretion rate of beta 2-microglobulin is probably the result of an increased release of beta 2-microglobulin by the cells which exceeds a maximum in the active tubular reabsorption of the compound by the proximal tubule cell. The renal excretion of beta 2-microglobulin is proportional to the relative clinical trauma score.