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Biomedical subjects

H O Dustmann

Publications and source records attributed to H O Dustmann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Diagnosis, differential diagnosis and therapy of lymphedema].

Swellings in the legs, caused by lymphedema, are encountered quite frequently in everyday orthopedic practice. The swellings are hard, pale in color and usually painful. Swellings of this kind occasionally atrain a completely disproportionate size and are the referred to as elephantiasis. Lymphedemas fall into two categories: 1. Congenital lymphedemas. These comprise lymphedemas occuring as a result of aplasias or dysplasias of lymph vessels. 2. Acquired lymphedemas: In such cases the edema may be due to mechanical causes, or it may be the result of a disturbance of lymph drainage, e.g., due to the destruction of lymph vessels by metastases, following extirpation of lymph nodes and radiation therapy; or it may be the result of inflammatory processes, e.g., following erysipelas, in filariasis or after a wound infection. Four stages of lymphedema are also distinguished: Stage I - latent lymphedema Stage II - reversible lymphedema Stage III - irreversible lymphedema Stage IV - Elephantiasis. Apart from clinical diagnosis the most comprehensive and reliable diagnostic procedure is lymphangiography. A simple and well-tried method of diagnosing lymphedema is to inject lymphotropic dye subcutaneously. The technique is outlined. The differential diagnosis of lymphedema is described. With regard to treatment, reference is made to surgical possibilities. However, these do not always augur success and the complication rate is high. Massive lymphedemas, therefore, are usually treated conservatively, by Van der Molen's tube method, with intermittent cuff pressure (pressure-curve therapy) and manual lymph drainage. The various treatment methods are described and some of the disadvantage and risks involved are pointed out.

Adult↗

[Notes on the indication of corrective osteotomy in Perthes' disease (author's transl)].

The results of surgical (corrective osteotomy) and conservative therapy (Thomas splint treatment) are compared in 88 patients suffering from Perthes' disease. It is attempted to show whether the age of the patients, the stage of disease, centric or excentric head of femur, Cattherall's stage or any risk factors influence the results. Statistics show that only young children profit from surgical treatment whereas it offers no advantage to children over six years of age. Among the young children only those with excentric head of femur, show significantly better results as opposed to conservative splint treatment. Surgery is otherwise only indicated when it is seen as an alternative to prolonged splint treatment.

Child↗

[May Perthes' disease be due to venous block? Experimental investigations on growing pigs].

In 13 growing pigs (mini-pigs) all veins draining the head of femur were ligated intra-abdominally. In 2 i.v. injection of 12% Varigloban into the common iliac vein was added, in another 2 the same drug was injected into the head of femur. No real changes could be seen in X-rays, macro- and microscopically. Slides showed only more or less pronounced fibrosis. Scintigrams showed a reduction of radio-active storage in the head of femur by about 12%. The results and conclusions for human pathology are discussed.

Animals↗

[Complications after total hip replacement (author's transl)].

Alloarthroplastic replacement of the hip comprises certain risks. Therefore good apparative and instrumental equipment and biological understanding of the post operative phase are necessary. Our rate of operative complications was 1.3% of all cases. In this number fat embolism after implantation of acrylic cement is of special interest. Reference is made of animal experiments on the pathogenesis of this phenomenon. Early complications comprise luxation of the prosthesis, bleeding and hematoma formation, iliotibial-nerve syndrome, phlebothrombosis, embolism, early infection. Late complications comprise infection and loosening of the prosthesis. In a total of 1200 implantations we had early complications in 1.8% and late complications in 0.9%. Reference is made of clinical and X-ray signs of loosening of the implant. Arthrography proved to be the most dependable method. We found periarticular calcifications in 30% of all cases. Fractures of the prosthesis were extremely rare: in few cases we found fractures of the polyestercup. In all cases the aggressive granuloma will leed to rarefication of bone sooner or later going along with loosening of the implant.

Blood Pressure↗

[Age dependent possibilities for healing in cartilage injuries (experimental investigations with animals) (author's transl)].

Regenerative and degenerative changes of cartilage were studied in animals by micromorphological methods and autoradiography. Cartilage lesions of defined size were set in the femoral condyle of rabbits of variing age by means of an electrical drill developed by us. We used juvenile animals, 3 months old, and senile animals 4 years old. The lesions were studied by lightmicroscopy, electronmicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In young animals we were able to demonstrate prevailing reparative changes after injury and the potency for genuine regeneration originating from cartilage. Isolated chondral lesions develop reactive tissue originating mainly from superficial parts of the cartilage. When subchondral bone is exposed we see granulation tissue filling up the defect and change by metaplasia. The replacing tissue originating from superficial cartilage as well as from subchondral bone is able to fill the defect within 3 months. In the replacing tissue originating from cartilage we find fibroblasts and fibrocytes with many mitoses. Consecutively the cells are rounding increasingly. Finally chondrocytes are developing. At the same time as these reparative changes occur we see degenerative changes with decreased mucopolysaccharide synthesis, cell necroses with consecutive decrease in number of cells and singular small cluster. In old animals we could not demonstrate any reparative or regenerative changes after injuries; the artificial defect in cartilage persists. Instead, degenerative changes with signs of arthrosis are developing rapidly: chondroitin sulfate synthesis is decreased, there is ample cluster formation, cell necrosis, decrease in number of cells, and incorporation of paraplasmatic substances in cartilage. We could not demonstrate any mitoses. The causes for the inability of cartilage of aged individuals for reparative changes are discussed.

Age Factors↗