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W K Dunham

Publications and source records attributed to W K Dunham.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

A new surgical classification system for shoulder-girdle resections. Analysis of 38 patients.

A new, six-stage surgical classification system is described for shoulder-girdle resections for patients being treated by limb-sparing procedures for bone and soft-tissue tumors. The classification is based upon current concepts of oncological surgery, the structures removed, the type of resection performed, and the relationship of the resection to the glenohumeral joint, and it indicates the increasing surgical magnitude of the procedure. Data from 38 patients with an average follow-up period of 4.6 years (range, two to 8.4 years) were analyzed. Thirty-two tumors were in bone and six in soft tissue. Eighty-seven percent (33 of the 38 tumors) were malignant. Twenty-four lesions were located in the proximal humerus and 14 in the scapula. The system permitted classification of all shoulder girdle resections done in this study's institutions. The classification is proposed as a means of establishing a uniform terminology in the comparison of such data.

Adolescent

Treatment of benign lesions of the femoral head and neck.

Benign lesions of the proximal femur usually weaken the supporting framework in the femoral neck. Of seven patients aged 11 through 26 years with the diagnosis of fibrous dysplasia (four), aneurysmal bone cyst (two), and simple bone cyst (one), six were treated with curretage and an autogenous fibula strut graft in conjunction with a sliding hip screw. One patient was treated with only the curretage and strut graft. The functional results were excellent (five), good (one), and fair (one), with no local recurrence. In treating fibrous dysplasia, dysplastic bone should be supplemented with grafts of cortical bone. This construct provides increased strength and prevents deformity and fracture, but it does not eradicate the disease. Internal fixation promotes union of the cortical graft to the host cancellous bone. The sliding screw stabilizes the bone and eliminates the need for plaster casts.

Adolescent

Metal-induced sarcoma. A case report and literature review.

The overall biocompatibility characteristics of metallic implants are important considerations in orthopedic surgery. A review of the literature shows very few reports of neoplasms in association with metallic implants. This case report demonstrates osteogenic sarcoma at the site of a Smith-Petersen nail that had been implanted for nine years in a 65-year-old woman for fixation of a femoral neck fracture. Gross examination revealed debris at the tumor site, with a concentration of 14 ppm of nickel within the tumor tissue. Experimental investigations support the possibility of neoplastic induction by heavy metals, particularly cobalt, cadmium, and nickel. Circumstantial evidence shows osteogenic sarcoma that developed at the site of this device, possibly in response to metal or factors at the site of metal.

Aged

Transthoracic exposure for anterior spinal surgery.

The anterior approach to the vertebral column is used to treat fractures, spinal deformities, and destructive lesions secondary to tumor or infection. The thoracic surgeon, working with orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons, is uniquely qualified to provide surgical exposure expediently and assist in postoperative care. Forty-five patients with spinal deformities secondary to trauma (18 patients), congenital anomalies (16 patients), neoplastic disease (7 patients), and inflammation (4 patients) were treated by a transthoracic (37 patients) or thoracoabdominal (10 patients) anterior approach to the vertebral column. Two patients had subsequent operations. Free and vascularized rib grafts were used for stabilization and fusion with good results and few complications (8 patients). These results indicate that interspecialty cooperation results in expedient surgical exposure and good postoperative care.

Adolescent

Surgical management of isthmic spondylolisthesis.

In order to determine the factors that produce a successful outcome in the surgical management of spondylolisthesis, 44 consecutive patients who underwent surgical treatment were reviewed. Preoperative evaluation was directed towards determining the presence or absence of nerve root compression. The patients without nerve root compression typically underwent fusion alone, while those with evidence of nerve root compression had decompression and fusion. After an average 36-month follow-up, results were good in 78%, fair in 18%, and poor in 4%. There were five complications, all of which were successfully managed. Two patients required reoperation for pseudoarthrosis. An eventual 100% fusion rate was achieved. Results in the patients with Grade III or Grade IV olisthesis were nearly equivalent to the less severe cases. Nine patients received allograft, with a fusion rate equal to the 32 receiving autogenous bone. This study suggests that in patients who have isthmic spondylolisthesis with mechanical lumbar symptoms only, or in patients with low-back pain with radicular extremity pain caused by nerve root irritation, fusion alone is indicated. In patients with documented radiculopathy resulting from nerve root compression, decompression in addition to fusion is indicated.

Adolescent

Soft tissue sarcomas.

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Combined Modality Therapy

Periosteal osteosarcoma.

An analysis of 6 patients with periosteal osteosarcoma treated by the authors along with a review of 55 patients reported in the literature demonstrates that periosteal osteosarcoma is distinctly different from conventional osteosarcoma or periosteal chondrosarcoma. Periosteal osteosarcoma is a less aggressive tumor than conventional osteosarcoma. It is a relatively well-differentiated chondroblastic osteosarcoma occurring on the surface of the long bones of the extremities. Three patients demonstrated frank medullary invasion of tumor, two grossly and one microsurgically. Patients treated with marginal resection had a 70% local recurrence rate. Patients receiving wide resection or primary amputation have survived longer with less recurrence of disease. Overall, 10 of 61 patients are dead with metastatic disease with a mean reported follow-up of 6 years and 7 months. Adjunctive therapy has been of no demonstrable aid in terms of prolonging survival. Medullary extension of this tumor should not be used to exclude this diagnosis. The authors believe that the treatment of choice is wide resection without adjunctive chemotherapy.

Adolescent

Preoperative regional chemotherapy and rapid-fraction irradiation for sarcomas of the soft tissue and bone.

Conventional treatment for high grade and large sarcomas uses a radical surgical approach, including amputation, in many patients. We evaluated a limb-sparing treatment approach using preoperative regional Adriamycin chemotherapy and rapid-fraction radiation therapy. Thirty patients with soft tissue or skeletal sarcoma were treated in a prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial to evaluate local disease control and limb salvage in these patients who would otherwise require amputation or face a high risk of local recurrence with surgical excision. Almost all patients had large tumors with grade III histologic findings. All patients had a three day intra-arterial regional chemotherapy infusion with Adriamycin (100 milligrams total dose), followed within ten days by rapid-fraction irradiation (3,000 rads over a two week period) prior to surgical excision of the tumor. The size and location of the sarcoma permitted only a marginal resection in one-half of the patients, while the remainder could be excised in a three dimensional en bloc manner. Almost all patients received post-operative systemic Adriamycin chemotherapy (450 milligrams per square meter given intravenously over a six month period). Two of six patients with significant wound complications later required amputation. Only one patient (3 per cent) has had a local recurrence of sarcoma develop after a mean follow-up of 22 months (range nine to 42 months), and 90 per cent of the patients have a useful extremity. The three year survival rate was 68 per cent for soft tissue sarcomas, compared with an expected survival rate of 38 per cent for published historical control studies. The patient with osteogenic sarcoma has a projected 83 per cent survival rate at 18 months after treatment. This multimodality approach is an effective treatment for local disease control in patients with high risk sarcoma. It permits limb salvage in most patients without compromising the survival rates.

Adolescent

Skip metastases in osteosarcoma: recent experience.

Osteosarcoma associated with a skip metastasis (SM) is a rare occurrence. The impact of modern chemotherapy on this entity has not been previously reported. This paper presents three cases treated by primary amputation and postoperative chemotherapy. All patients developed typical pulmonary and subsequent bony metastases. The average disease-free interval was 6.7 months. None appeared to benefit either from intensive chemotherapy or thoracotomy. The disease disseminated extensively in all three patients without radiologic or clinical response to the varied chemotherapeutic or additional surgical procedures. We conclude that a SM is a grave prognostic sign despite modern adjuvant modalities and suggest that a different therapeutic strategy is required.

Adolescent

Developmental defects of the distal femoral metaphysis.

The posteromedial aspect of the distal end of the femur in the area of insertion of the adductor magnus is the site of occurrence of a developmental defect that may have the roentgenographic characteristics of a malignant bone tumor. As it is asymptomatic, this common defect is almost always an incidental finding, but it has been confused with osteosarcoma. The lesion is thought to be due to trauma or the avulsion of small bits of bone at the site of insertion of the adductor magnus muscle. Histologically the lesion has been mistaken for osteosarcoma because of the immature reactive bone and fibrous tissue presnet. It is usually possible to identify these defects roentgenographically and avoid biopsy.

Adolescent