Objective To investigate the clinical features, diagnosis, and surgical methods of left-sided appendicitis (LSA). Methods We retrieved LSA-related literatures through Pubmed, Google Scholar English databases, Wanfang, CNKI, VIP, and SinoMed databases (published from January 1981 to June 2017), as well as 2 cases of LSA who treated in Beibei Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital, to analyze the clinical characteristics of LSA and its diagnosis and treatment methods. Results There were 92 articles in a total of 212 LSA patients were retrieved, and 2 cases treated in Beibei Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital, a total of 214 LSA patients were included in the analysis. Pain fixed position of LSA: 139 cases (65.0%) located in left-lower quadrant, 30 cases (14.0%) located in right-lower quadrant, 8 cases (3.7%) located in peri-umbilical, 15 cases (7.0%) located in mid-lower abdomen, 15 cases (7.0%) located in left-upper quadrant, 3 cases (1.4%) located in right-upper abdomen, 2 cases (0.9%) located in mid-upper abdomen, 2 cases (0.9%) located in pelvic cavity, respectively. LSA had occurred in association with several types of abnormal anomalies: 131 cases (61.2%) suffered from situs inversus totalis (SIT), 53 cases (24.8%) suffered from midgut malrotation (MM), 21 cases (9.8%) suffered from cecal malrotation, 4 cases (1.9%) suffered from long appendix, 2 cases (0.9%) suffered from free ascending colon, and 3 cases (1.4%) were unclear. The diagnosis of 114 LSA cases (53.3%) before operation was correct, in which the correct diagnosis rates of SIT-LSA and MM-LSA were 74.8% (98/131) and 22.6% (12/53), respectively. Three patients (1.4%) underwent conservative treatment, and 211 patients (98.6%) underwent surgical treatment, including 25 cases (11.7%) of laparoscopic surgery, 145 cases (67.8%) of open abdominal surgery, and unknown of 41 cases (19.1%). Laparotomy incision: abdominal incision in 74 cases (51.0%), ventral midline incision in 16 cases (11.0%), the left side of the anti McBurney incision in 43 cases (29.7%), right McBurney incision in 12 cases (8.3%). Conclusions LSA mainly occurs in association with 2 types of congenital anomalies: SIT and MM. There is some difficult to make diagnosis for abnormal anatomy and inaccurate pain location of LSA, so it is easy to cause the delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis. For LSA, the choices of laparoscopy or laparotomy operation methods are applicable.
ObjectiveTo compare the postoperative tibial malrotation between traditional minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) and three-dimensional printing-assisted MIPO (3D-MIPO) for different types of tibial fractures, and explore the change of these differences.MethodsA prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted. The 120 patients with unilateral tibial fracture who met the selection criteria between January 2016 and October 2018 (40 patients in each of AO types A, B, and C) into the trial group (20 patients, 3D-MIPO) and the control group (20 patients, traditional MIPO) at ratio of 1∶1. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05) in gender, age, fracture site, and other general information. The bilateral tibial rotation angles were measured on the CT images within 1 week after operation, and the difference of tibial rotation angle between affected and unaffected sides was calculated. The tibial malrotation was defined when the difference exceeded 10°. The degree of tibial rotation and the incidence of malrotation between the two groups in different types of tibial fractures were compared. ResultsPostoperative infection occurred in 1 case, and improved after the dressing change and anti-inflammatory treatment. No complications such as loosening and displacement of internal fixation occurred. There was no significant difference in the difference of bilateral tibial rotation angles between the two groups in type A fractures after operation (t=0.559, P=0.580); while in types B and C fractures, the differences of bilateral tibial rotation angles in control group were significantly higher than those in trial group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in distribution of internal or external rotation between the two groups in types A, B, and C fractures (P>0.05). No malrotation occurred in type A fractures, and there was no significant difference in the incidence of malrotation between the two groups in type B fractures (P=1.000). The incidence of malrotation in control group was significantly higher than that in trial group in type C fractures (P=0.044).Conclusion3D-MIPO has the same anti-malrotation effect as traditional MIPO for type A tibial fracture, but for types B and C tibial fractures, the anti-malrotation effect of 3D-MIPO is significantly better than that of traditional MIPO. The more complex the fracture type is, the more significant this advantage is.
Objective To investigate the effect of tibial rotation on knee and ankle function in the patients with extra-articular distal tibial fractures after minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 45 patients with extra-articular distal tibial fractures who underwent MIPO between January 2021 and December 2022. There were 20 males and 25 females, aged from 19 to 68 years (mean, 43.6 years). The causes of fractures included falling from heights in 11 cases, traffic accidents in 15 cases, bruising by a heavy object in 7 cases, and falling in 12 cases. The time from injury to hospitalization was 1-6 hours (mean, 3.7 hours). There were 28 cases of simple tibial fractures and 17 cases of tibial fractures combined with ipsilateral fibular fractures; 9 cases of open fractures and 36 cases of closed fractures. According to AO/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) classification, the distal tibial fractures were classified as type 43A1 in 12 cases, type 43A2 in 17 cases, and type 43A3 in 16 cases. During follow-up, the Lower Limb Function Score (LEFS), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Score (KOOS) were used to evaluate the lower limb, ankle, and knee joint functions, respectively. The range of motion (ROM) of the knee and ankle joints was measured. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to assess the quality of life of the patients. The fracture healing was observed by anteroposterior and lateral X-ray films of the ankle joint. The bilateral tibial rotation angles were measured on CT and the differences between the affected and healthy sides were caculated. The difference ≥10° was judged as tibial malrotation. According to whether there was tibial malrotation, the patients were allocated into a normal group and a malrotation group for efficacy comparison. Results The incisions of all patients healed by first intention without any early complications. All patients were followed up 12-26 months (mean, 18.6 months). Imaging re-examination showed that all fractures healed, with a healing time of 9-14 weeks (mean, 11.2 weeks). At last follow-up, the LEFS score was 60-68 (mean, 62.3); the AOFAS score was 89-97 (mean, 92.6); the KOOS score was 158-164 (mean, 161.3). The ROM of ankle was 40.0°-45.0° (mean, 42.8°) in flexion and 10.5°-22.0° (mean, 17.7°) in extension; the ROM of knee was 130.0°-135.0° (mean, 132.6°) in flexion and –8.8°- –5.0° (mean, –7.1°) in extension. The SF-36 score was 89-93 (mean, 90.7). The absolute value of difference of tibial rotation angle was 2.6°-17.3° (mean, 8.9°) in 45 patients, and the malrotation was observed in 15 patients (33.3%), including 10 cases of internal rotation and 5 cases of external rotation. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in the proportion of patients with fibular fractures before operation between the malrotation group and the normal group, as well as in the AOFAS score, KOOS score, LEFS score, SF-36 score, and ROMs of knee and ankle joints at last follow-up. ConclusionThe incidence of tibial malrotation after MIPO treatment for extra-articular distal tibial fractures is relatively high, but it has no significant effect on knee and ankle functions. However, careful manipulation and precise evaluation should be performed during operation to avoid the occurrence of malrotation.