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Biomedical subjects

L A Rinsky

Publications and source records attributed to L A Rinsky.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Analysis of radiographic measurements as prognostic indicators of treatment success in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Measurements were taken and statistically analyzed from the initial radiographs, the 1-year follow-up radiographs, and the most recent radiographs of 81 patients (103 hips) to determine which measurements could predict the success of treatment. The average follow-up was 49 months (range, 12-139 months), and the average age of the patients at the last follow-up was 65 months (range, 15-190 months). Analysis of the data showed that the measurement with statistically significant predictive value was the Tonnis grade of dislocation determined from the initial radiograph. A single unit increase in the Tonnis grade was associated with a doubling of the odds of failure in patients treated with a Pavlik harness (P < 0.04, odds ratio = 2.2) or a closed reduction (odds ratio = 2.0).

Adolescent↗

Effectiveness of ice packs in reducing skin temperature under casts.

Skin temperature lowering effects were measured after application of crushed ice packs to the surface of synthetic and plaster casts. The skin temperature of legs in synthetic casts decreased an average of 10.4 degrees C (range, 8.3 degrees-12.6 degrees) to a minimum temperature of 19.7 degrees C (range, 16.2 degrees-21.8 degrees), and the temperature of legs in plaster casts decreased an average of 11 degrees C to a minimum of 18.7 degrees C (range, 13 degrees-22.8 degrees). It took an average of 56 minutes (range, 40-80 minutes) for the legs in synthetic casts and 63.8 minutes (range, 26-116 minutes) for the legs in plaster casts to reach the minimum temperature. Cryotherapy is used clinically with the intention of lowering skin temperature and presumably decreasing the pain and swelling of a patient's injured extremity. The presence of a synthetic or a plaster cast does not eliminate the lowering effects of skin temperature when crushed ice packs are applied to the surface of the casts.

Adult↗

Gastrointestinal problems in patients who have type-III osteogenesis imperfecta.

We performed a study of forty-three patients who had type-III osteogenesis imperfecta. Our purpose was to determine the frequency and severity of abdominal problems and the relationship between these problems and pelvic deformity. Twelve patients had had recurrent episodes of abdominal pain. Eleven of them had a history of chronic constipation, and five had been treated for fecal impaction. Radiographs had been made for ten of these patients, and eight of them had radiographic evidence of pelvic deformity with severe acetabular protrusion. Chronic constipation and recurrent abdominal pain are more frequent in patients who have osteogenesis imperfecta and acetabular protrusion than in those who do not have protrusion. These patients may benefit from early attention to a bowel program and referral to a gastrointestinal specialist.

Abdominal Pain↗

Advances in management of idiopathic scoliosis.

Management rests on two critical questions: whether the curve is likely to progress before cessation of growth, and whether further progression can be expected in the mature patient. With regard to both questions, we have learned a number of important lessons from mass screening and its follow-up. Along the way, a number of questionable technologies have been discarded.

Adolescent↗

Pericardial tamponade secondary to perforation by central venous catheters in orthopaedic patients.

Pericardial tamponade from an indwelling central venous catheter developed in four orthopaedic patients. Two of these patients died acutely, and the other two sustained severe anoxic brain injury. The early signs of tamponade include tachycardia, hypotension, and increased central venous pressure. The outcome most often is fatal. When a central venous catheter has been placed incorrectly or has migrated, it can perforate the heart and produce pericardial tamponade. To avoid this complication, the tip of the catheter must be placed within the superior vena cava rather than the right atrium, and the position of the catheter must be ascertained with a radiograph of the chest. Prompt recognition and treatment of pericardial tamponade are imperative if a disastrous outcome is to be prevented.

Adolescent↗

Arthropathy of the ankle in hemophilia.

Seventy-five patients who had hemophilia were followed clinically and roentgenographically to assess the prevalence of hemarthrosis and the prevalence and severity of arthropathy of the ankle. The mean age of the patients at the time of follow-up was twenty-two years and seven months. The patients were divided into four age-groups: less than ten years (eleven patients), ten to nineteen years (twenty-one patients), twenty to thirty years (twenty-four patients), and more than thirty years (nineteen patients). Intra-articular bleeding occurred more frequently in the joints of the lower extremities than in the joints of the upper extremities. During the second decade of life, hemarthroses occurred more often in the ankle than in the knee. A history of recurrent bleeding into the ankle joint, chronic synovitis, and overgrowth of the medial portion of the distal tibial epiphysis was associated with an early onset of arthropathy. In older patients, compression arthrodesis of the ankle joint was helpful in eliminating pain, recurrent bleeding, and equinus deformity.

Adolescent↗

Established hip dislocations in children with cerebral palsy.

Hip dislocation in children with cerebral palsy is caused by a combination of factors, including spastic muscle imbalance, persistent fetal femoral geometry, acetabular dysplasia, and flexion-adduction contracture. The incidence of dislocation correlates with the severity of the spasticity, and the prevalence is close to 50% in neurologically immature, spastic quadriplegic children. Successful hip reductions improve muscular balance, provide satisfactory reduction of the femoral head, and establish good pelvic coverage. In 31 occurrences of established hip dislocation in 24 patients, the most successful operations used a combined procedure consisting of soft-tissue release, open reduction, femoral varus derotation and shortening osteotomy, and pelvic osteotomy.

Cerebral Palsy↗

Surgery of spinal deformity in cerebral palsy. Twelve years in the evolution of scoliosis management.

In order to assess the lessons learned from 12 years of surgery on patients with cerebral palsy and spinal deformity, the cases may be divided into three groups classified according to type of posterior spinal fusion, instrumentation, and time period. Group I (1976-1980) included patients who had Harrington rods, usually with Dwyer instrumentation. Group II (1980-1985) consisted of patients with unlinked Luque or wired-in Harrington rods. Group III (1985-1988) comprised patients with a unit Luque rod extending to the pelvis. Most patients were retarded nonwalkers who had total body involvement, pelvic obliquity, and severe thoracolumbar curves (Group I average, 97 degrees; Group II average, 72 degrees; Group III average, 89 degrees). The frontal plane correction at follow-up study averaged 51% in Group I, 47% in Group II, and 76% in Group III. The correction of the pelvic obliquity averaged 71% in Group I, 58% in Group II, and 86% in Group III. The general trend was toward longer fusion, use of the unit 0.625-cm Luque rod, and first-stage anterior discectomy and fusion without anterior instrumentation. The second-stage posterior arthrodesis and fusion is now performed only one week after the first-stage anterior procedure. Skeletal traction has been abandoned. The Luque rod instrumentation without fusion has also been abandoned.

Adolescent↗

Trapeziometacarpal abnormalities in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

We studied 24 patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with particular attention to the thumb and the trapeziometacarpal joint. The 11 males and 13 females had a mean age of 15.9 years. Symptomatic complaints included pinch, grip and twisting weakness; measurements showed dominant hand strength deficits of 71% for tip pinch, 55% for palmar pinch, 46% for key pinch, and 70% for grip. All finger joint ranges of motion were increased. Sixty-six percent of all the patients had trapeziometacarpal subluxation; 29% had dislocation. Sixteen percent had radiographic evidence of arthritis. Early occupational therapy evaluation and education can help these patients better understand and adapt to their limitations.

Adolescent↗

Gait electromyograms and surgical decisions for paralytic deformities of the foot.

Twenty-one patients who had 23 gait electromyographic (EMG) examinations for paralytic deformities of the foot had surgical procedures performed. Outcome of the surgery was analysed with respect to the value of the pre-operative gait studies in deciding on appropriate surgical procedures. When outcome at follow-up (mean 3.6 years) was satisfactory and surgery had been in accordance with the EMG findings, or when outcome was unsatisfactory when the EMG had been disregarded, the value was deemed positive. Conversely, if the EMG data had been disregarded but outcome was satisfactory, the value was negative. Using these criteria, 70 per cent of the EMGs of the four muscles tested (tibialis anterior and posterior, peroneal and gastrocnemius) were a positive contribution to the evaluation and decision for the particular surgical procedure.

Adolescent↗

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the single most common form of spinal deformity seen in orthopedic practice. Our knowledge about the epidemiology, etiology, natural history, and treatment has recently increased dramatically. The incidence of small curves is rather high (2% of the population), whereas severe curves are much less common (<0.1%), but we cannot always predict which curve will progress. Abnormalities of the neuromuscular system and of calcium metabolism, and certain growth, genetic, and mechanical factors may all play roles in the pathogenesis of the disorder. The physiologic secondary effects of severe scoliosis relate to restrictive lung disease, but most patients do not have a deformity great enough to affect their cardiorespiratory function. The psychological and social effects of scoliosis are significant for patients but difficult to quantitate. For most patients with moderate scoliosis-that is, more than 25 to 30 degrees-treatment with an underarm brace or electrical stimulation is adequate to "control" progression of the curve. Surgical fusion allows actual correction of the curve but is indicated in only a small percentage of patients-usually those with more than 50 degrees of deformity.

Adolescent↗

Non-union of fractures in children who have osteogenesis imperfecta.

Although a fracture rarely fails to unite in a healthy child, non-union is not a rare occurrence in a child who has osteogenesis imperfecta. We identified twelve non-unions in ten patients from a population of fifty-two patients who had osteogenesis imperfecta. The average age of these patients when the diagnosis of non-union was made nine years, and the average age at the time of treatment was 12.5 years. All of the patients had had a decrease in functional ability as a result of the non-union. There were five femoral, four humeral, one radial, one ulnar, and one pubic non-union. Five of the non-unions were hypertrophic, and seven were atrophic. Eight of the nine ununited fractures that were operated on healed after excision of the non-union, intramedullary nailing, and bone-grafting. Three of the non-unions (in two patients) were not operated on, and the one patient in whom surgery failed had an amputation. Non-union was frequently associated with repeated fractures at a progressively deforming site.

Adolescent↗

Orthopaedic aspects of central core disease.

We studied the cases of fifteen patients who had central core disease, a non-progressive congenital myopathy that is usually inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. As infants, the patients had poor muscle tone and developmental delay, and as adolescents and adults, they had varying degrees of proximal muscle weakness and tended to use the Gower maneuver. The most common musculoskeletal problems were dislocation or subluxation of the hip, pes planus, and hypermobility of the joints. The most serious orthopaedic problems were in the hips: ten patients had a total of nine dislocations and six subluxations, nine being present at birth and six developing later. Only nine hips were stable after the initial treatment, and there was a propensity for hip-joint contractures. Scoliosis and patellar instability were also seen. Although patients who have central core disease have been reported to be at increased risk for malignant hyperthermia, this did not occur in our patients.

Adolescent↗

Balance reactions and eye-hand coordination in idiopathic scoliosis.

We undertook this study to determine if subclinical postural control mechanisms were abnormal in idiopathic scoliosis. Ninety-one female patients and fifty-seven age-matched female controls were examined. We used a force plate ataxiometer to quantitate postural sway in the standing position and recorded the displacement and acceleration of the center of pressure during static stance and under perturbation with eyes opened and closed. A joystick-controlled video system was used to measure reaction time and eye-hand motor coordination. The scoliosis group demonstrated significantly less sway during two of the eight standing balance conditions and on the remaining balance tests there was a similar trend, albeit nonsignificant. The reaction time for the scoliosis group was also significantly slower, but the accuracy was not significantly worse. We noted no statistical differences between progressive and nonprogressive or between braced and unbraced patients. The subgroup of patients whose curves progressed despite bracing had a tendency to demonstrate greater stability on all standing tests. They also exhibited faster reaction times and less error in eye-hand coordination than other patient groups. No correlation existed between severity of curve and test performance. We found no indication of deficient balance in idiopathic scoliosis, and the tests could not predict curve progression.

Adolescent↗

Acetabular osteomyelitis in children.

The clinical, laboratory, and roentgenographic features of acetabular osteomyelitis were present in a 20-month-old boy and a five-year-old girl. The clinical and laboratory parameters were similar in extracapsular acetabular osteomyelitis and septic arthritis of the hip. A secondary effusion was evident in roentgenograms in both conditions. Acetabular osteomyelitis responded to selected intravenous antibiotic therapy. Septic arthritis of the hip required immediate surgical drainage as well as appropriate antibiotic coverage.

Acetabulum↗

The cisterna chyli in orthopaedic surgery.

The cisterna chyli is normally hidden in prevertebral tissue and rarely encountered by orthopaedic surgeons. However, hyperextension injury and anterior surgical approach to the spine can result in injury and the complication of chylothorax. Prevention of postoperative chylothorax is mainly through awareness of normal anatomic distribution. If a chylothorax occurs, conservative treatment should be instituted (ie, thoracentesis and/or intercostal tube drainage). If drainage persists, exploration may be required to ligate ducts. Intraoperative discovery of an injury can be treated with ligation or repair. Ten orthopaedic spine surgeons were surveyed (estimated 1000 anterior spinal approaches) disclosing observation of the structure 12 times and chylothorax on only three occasions. When using the anterior approach in both spinal trauma and deformity, one must be aware of the structure and the potential complication of injury.

Adolescent↗