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Biomedical subjects

W R Obermann

Publications and source records attributed to W R Obermann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Late sequelae of neonatal septic arthritis of the shoulder.

We reviewed eight children (ten shoulders) who had suffered neonatal sepsis, after a mean follow-up of 14 years (11 to 15). The delay between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis was one day in five patients, two days in three and seven days in one. All ten shoulders were treated by aspiration, followed by arthrotomy in two. At follow-up, five of the ten shoulders had a full range of movement and the others had minimal restriction of external rotation. Shortening of 10 cm was present in one patient, while two with bilateral involvement had disproportionally short humeri. Early diagnosis and treatment favour the outcome in septic arthritis of the shoulder. With late diagnosis, deformation of the humeral head and shortening of the humerus cause marked cosmetic abnormality but negligible functional loss.

Arthritis, Infectious

Optimizing joint-imaging: (CT)-arthrography.

The technique of CT arthrography and arthrotomography of the major joints is discussed. Also, the types of contrast media, double or single contrast technique, film-screen combinations, injection techniques and additional pain testing are discussed.

Arthrography

Wrist injuries: pitfalls in conventional imaging.

The general principles of judging wrist injuries are discussed. Carefully made standard views will provide recognizable projections of carpal bones in order to judge abnormal positions. Additional views, conventional tomography and CT scans are, in some instances, necessary to diagnose fractures. For ligamentous damage resulting in carpal instability, fluoroscopy of the wrist and/or an arthrogram should be obtained. Examples of difficult pathology are shown and variations or more or less borderline pathology as coincidental findings are discussed. The main pitfalls are: wrong diagnosis made on inappropriately taken radiographs; misinterpretation of carpal bone relationships; and overestimation of some arthrographically found abnormalities.

Carpal Bones

Bicompartmentalization of the radiocarpal joint.

Seven wrists are presented with a septum connecting the lunotriquetral interosseous ligament and triangular fibrocartilage, resulting in bicompartmentalization of the radiocarpal joint. In all of the 7 wrists, having no history of trauma, the septums were suspected to be of congenital origin. The histopathology of the septum in 1 cadaver wrist showed a fibrocartilaginous structure. Two types of radiocarpal joint bicompartmentalization were identified by arthrography. Type 1 (2 wrists) had a septum with normal (intact) lunotriquetral interosseous ligament, and type 2 (5 wrists) had a septum with a communicating defect of the lunotriquetral interosseous ligament. The septum is most likely a congenital malformation caused by a disturbance of the vacuolization of the mesenchymal mass between the forearm and carpus.

Adult

Degenerative changes at the knee and ankle related to malunion of tibial fractures. 15-year follow-up of 88 patients.

We re-examined clinically and radiologically 88 patients with a fracture of the lower leg at a mean follow-up of 15 years. Forty-three fractures (49%) had healed with malalignment of at least 5 degrees. More arthritis was found in the knee and ankle adjacent to the fracture than in the comparable joints of the uninjured leg. Malaligned fractures showed significantly more degenerative changes. Eighteen patients (20%) had symptoms in the fractured leg. There was a significant correlation between symptoms in the knee and arthritis but not between symptoms and ankle arthritis or malalignment. We conclude that fractures of the lower leg should be managed so that the possibility of angular deformity and thereby late arthritis is minimised.

Adolescent

Percutaneous computed-tomography-guided thermocoagulation for osteoid osteomas.

Current treatment for osteoid osteomas is usually surgical excision of the nidus. We treated 18 patients with osteoid osteoma by percutaneous thermocoagulation of the nidus under computed-tomography guidance. The procedure was technically successful in all cases and there were no complications. Patients were discharged on the following morning and resumed normal activities immediately. All patients but one remained pain free during follow-up (range 3-15 months). A second thermocoagulation treatment relieved the recurrent symptoms in this patient. Percutaneous thermocoagulation appears to be effective for osteoid osteomas, and is a minimally invasive alternative to surgical resection.

Bone Neoplasms

Interosseous ligaments: device for applying stress in wrist MR imaging.

To improve visibility of the interosseous ligaments at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the wrist, the authors made and tested a device to apply ulnar and radial stress. In two men with small lunotriquetral (n = 1) and scapholunate (n = 1) ligament defects, depiction became evident only with stress deviation. Stress testing with this device increased the diagnostic accuracy of MR imaging for detection of these lesions.

Adult

Optimization of chest films of equalization radiography (advanced multiple beam equalization radiography). Comparison by means of a receiver operating characteristic study of simulated nodular interstitial disease.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE: To optimize screen-film combinations for equalization radiography (advanced multiple beam equalization radiography [AMBER]), five different film-screen-technique combinations were compared by receiver operating characteristics study of simulated interstitial disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Ortho C-Lanex Regular and the Insight Thoracic Imaging HC system were compared in conventional nonequalized technique; T-Mat G-Lanex Regular and T-Max L-Lanex Regular were compared in conventional, nonequalized, and AMBER technique; and an experimental high-contrast, low-noise, near-zero crossover film-screen combination was compared in AMBER technique. Interstitial disease was simulated by superimposing birdseed on the back of a humanoid phantom. Twenty-five posterior-anterior radiographs were made with each technique. Seven observers scored the presence of interstitial disease in each of the quadrants on a 5-point scale following receiver operating characteristic methodology. RESULTS: The highest performance was found with the experimental film-screen-AMBER combination (Az = 0.92) and the lowest with the T-Mat L-Lanex Regular-AMBER combination (Az = 0.83) and the Insight Thoracic Imaging HC system-conventional combination (Az = 0.85). T-Mat L-Lanex Regular-conventional ranked second (Az = 0.90) while T-Mat G-Lanex Regular-conventional (Az = 0.89), T-Mat L-Lanex Regular-AMBER (Az = 0.88) and Ortho-C-Lanex Regular-conventional (Az = 0.87) scored lower. CONCLUSION: Higher contrast films in AMBER improve diagnostic performance, whereas a loss of information is found if the AMBER system is combined with lower contrast films.

Humans

A surgical approach in total shoulder arthroplasty.

The long deltopectoral approach promoted by Neer is the standard for performing a total shoulder arthroplasty. However, this exposure is inadequate for preparation and bone grafting of the glenoid cavity or repairing an associated large rotator cuff tear. In the anatomy laboratory we looked for an alternative approach to the glenohumeral joint which would accommodate these difficulties. Afterwards we used this approach in 7 of 13 patients in whom a Biomet Bio-modular shoulder arthroplasty was planned. The study is prospective with a 1-year follow-up of 12 cases.

Aged

Pseudarthrosis of the scaphoid treated by the Matti-Russe operation. A long-term review of 77 cases.

We report the long-term results of the Matti-Russe operation for pseudarthrosis of the scaphoid in 100 cases, reported previously by Mulder in 1968. Clinical results for 77 patients and radiographic data for 74 were reviewed at 22 to 34.8 years after surgery. In general, there was satisfactory relief of pain and stiffness but some patients had limitation of motion and reduced grip-strength, with usually slight osteoarthritic changes. There was poor correlation between subjective, objective, and radiographic results but 88% of the patients were satisfied with their results.

Activities of Daily Living

Intertrochanteric corrective osteotomy in slipped capital femoral epiphysis. A long-term follow-up study of 26 patients.

The results of intertrochanteric corrective osteotomy in a series of 26 hips with moderate to severe chronic slipped capital femoral epiphysis are reported from follow-up studies in 1976 and 1986. In hips with a slippage of less than 40 degrees (ten hips), arthrosis was present in one hip. In the remaining 16 cases in which slippage exceeded 40 degrees, osteoarthrosis was present in 15, even though correction was adequate. From these observations it can be concluded that intertrochanteric corrective osteotomy does not prevent degeneration in cases with the most severe slip. On the basis of the present observations on treated and untreated cases, the authors advocate treatment by fixation without realignment, accepting the deformity in moderate and severe chronic slips. Rotational osteotomy may be considered in the event of hip joint contracture.

Adolescent

Knee arthrography: comparison of iotrolan and ioxaglate sodium meglumine.

Arthrographic image quality and relative morbidity resulting from use of the nonionic dimer iotrolan and the ionic dimer ioxaglate sodium meglumine were compared in a prospective double-blind study performed in 80 patients. Radiographs obtained 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 minutes after injection of contrast agent were graded for diagnostic quality. Relative morbidity was evaluated by the physician during the examination and later by the patient by means of a questionnaire. Iotrolan demonstrated better image quality on serial radiographs in knee joints without previous effusions. Most differences were not significant. The mean duration of diagnostic-quality images for both contrast media was about 23 minutes. Iotrolan and ioxaglate caused equal postprocedural pain (in about 50% of patients). Other types of discomfort were less when iotrolan was used, but the differences were not significant. With regard to long-lasting image quality, both contrast media are suitable for arthrography.

Adolescent

Rotator cuff impingement syndrome: MR imaging.

Ten patients with clinically suspected rotator cuff impingement syndrome were evaluated with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, double contrast arthrography, and conventional radiography. An area of increased signal intensity in the tendinous portion of the rotator cuff was seen in eight of ten patients on images obtained with a short repetition time (TR) and short echo time (TE) and those obtained with a long TR and long TE with spin-echo sequences. Microscopic findings, available in five patients, indicated that these areas of increased intensity corresponded to degeneration and inflammation of the rotator cuff. A previously injected long-acting steroid preparation combined with a local anesthetic, which also produces an area of increased signal intensity on long TR, long TE images, can cause problems with image interpretation. No tears of the rotator cuff were detected with MR imaging. However, a full-thickness cuff tear was detected with arthrography in three patients. Although based on a relatively small group of patients, these preliminary findings suggest that MR imaging is capable of demonstrating rotator cuff abnormalities in patients with impingement syndrome.

Humans

Magnetic resonance imaging in congenital dislocation of the hip.

A study of structures which obstruct reduction of hip dislocation was performed on 15 hips by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Before treatment started, MRI studies were performed on 10 patients, six of whom were treated conservatively, after which further MRI studies helped to establish a concentric reduction. In the other four conservative treatment failed and they were operated on; in them the MRI studies were compared with arthrographic and surgical findings. In all but one of these 10 patients, MRI enabled us to differentiate between an everted and an inverted limbus. In five other patients with unsatisfactory development of the hip following closed reduction, MRI was compared with earlier arthrographic studies. MRI provided accurate anatomical information which would not have been obtained by arthrography. It clearly has great potential in assisting the surgeon to select the appropriate form of treatment.

Child, Preschool

The lever arm in glenohumeral abduction after hemiarthroplasty.

Fourteen cases of hemiarthroplasty for four-part fractures of the proximal humerus were reviewed. Pain relief was satisfactory, but function was limited, mainly due to loss of glenohumeral abduction despite electromyographic proof of actively contracting abductors in all cases. Analysis of special radiographs of nine cases showed a direct relationship between the clinical results and the "humeral offset", or distance between the geometric centre of the humeral head and the lateral aspect of the greater tuberosity. This offset affects the lever arms of the glenohumeral abductor muscles. The implications for surgical technique and for the design of shoulder prostheses are discussed.

Adult