Ilizarov’s technology is an internationally recognized clinical treatment method for limb orthopedics, but there are many complications related to external fixation. With the development and progress of the times, the remote-control intramedullary lengthening nails had risen to prominence on the international stage as the second generation of orthomelic technology based on Ilizarov’s technology. Since the first remote-control intramedullary lengthening nail appeared in the 1980s, after more than 40 years of development, there are currently more than 3 types of extension mechanisms in remote-control intramedullary lengthening nails and a mature and stable clinical treatment model has been formed during the past long-term clinical treatment and experiments, such as the End-Point-First (EPF) program proposed by Professor Peter H. Thaller in Germany. Compared with Ilizarov’s technology, the remote-control intramedullary lengthening nail has obvious advantages in convenience, comfort, risk of infection, soft tissue injury, postoperative pain, and controllability of limb lengthening. This article mainly introduces the development and clinical treatment concept of remote-control intramedullary lengthening nail and the latest clinical treatment status of limb lengthening therapy abroad, hoping to provide new cognition and ideas for the further development of limb orthopedics in China.
In recent years, the rapid development of information and communication technology, big data, and artificial intelligence has provided technical support for exploring new medical methods, leading to the emergence of digital therapeutics (DTx). At present, the application of DTx in orthopedics is still in the preliminary exploration stage. Therefore, based on the authors’ experience of applying DTx, this article summarizes the definition and formation process of DTx, as well as the relationship among digital health, digital medicine, and DTx, evaluates the working principles and application effects of existing orthopedic related DTx products, analyzes their shortcomings in the application process, and looks forward to their future development trends, aiming to lay a foundation for the comprehensive development and application of DTx in orthopedics.
ObjectiveTo review the current status and progress of locking plate for the treatment of distal femoral comminuted fractures.MethodsThe related literature was extensively reviewed to summarize the current status and progress in the treatment of distal femoral comminuted fracture with locking plate from four aspects: the current treatment situation, the shortcomings of locking plate and countermeasures, the progress of locking technology, locking plate and digital orthopedic technology.ResultsTreatment of distal femoral comminuted fractures is challenging. Locking plates, the most commonly used fixation for distal femoral comminuted fractures, still face a high rate of treatment failure. Double plates can improve the mechanical stability of comminuted fractures, but specific quantitative criteria are still lacking for when to choose double plates for fixation. The far cortial locking screw has shown good application value in improving the micro-movement and promoting the growth of callus. The biphasic plating is a development of the traditional locking plate, but needs further clinical examination. As an auxiliary means, digital orthopedic technology shows a good application prospect.ConclusionThe inherent defect of locking plate is a factor that affects the prognosis of distal femoral comminuted fracture. The optimization of locking technology combined with digital orthopedic technology is expected to reduce the failure rate of treatment of distal femoral comminuted fracture.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of applying a standardized rehabilitation process in correction of adult clubfoot with the Ilizarov technique. Methods Thirty-eight adult patients who underwent orthopedic treatment with Ilizarov technique for clubfoot between August 2022 and December 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into a study group and a control group with 19 cases in each group according to the different rehabilitation management processes and methods. The differences in baseline data such as gender, age, side, and preoperative Holden walking function grading between the two groups were not significant (P>0.05). In both groups, most of the clubfoot deformities were surgically corrected first, and the residual deformities were corrected by dynamic slow retraction with Ilizarov ring-type external fixation frame. The study group adopted standardized rehabilitation process management mode, including preoperative lower limb muscle strength training, postoperative pain and swelling management, weight-bearing management, gait and lower limb stability training. The control group adopted the conventional postoperative rehabilitation management mode. The occurrence of complications was recorded, including pin tract infection, ankle stiffness and pain, and deformity recurrence. Holden walking function grading was used to evaluate the walking ability of the patients. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by the QIN Sihe Deformity Correction Disability Repair and Functional Reconstruction Postoperative Efficacy Evaluation Scale. Patient satisfaction was evaluated by Likert score. Results Patients in both groups successfully completed surgery and rehabilitation and were followed up. The follow-up time ranged from 8 to 29 months, with a mean of 18.5 months. Among them, the follow-up time was (18.8±5.5) months in the study group and (18.2±5.7) months in the control group, and the difference between groups was not significant (t=0.316, P=0.754). The postoperative incidences of pin tract infection, ankle stiffness and pain, and deformity recurrence in the study group were 10.53%, 5.26%, and 5.26%, respectively, and in the control group were 21.05%, 36.84%, and 15.79%, respectively. And the difference between groups in the incidence of ankle stiffness and pain was significant (P=0.042). At last follow-up, both groups showed an improvement in Holden walking function grading compared to preoperative levels (P<0.05), and the grading of the study group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P=0.006). According to the QIN Sihe Deformity Correction Disability Repair and Functional Reconstruction Postoperative Efficacy Evaluation Scale, the grade difference between groups was not significant (P=0.089), and the excellent and good rates of clinical efficacy in study group and control group were 89.47% (17/19) and 73.68% (14/19), respectively. Patient satisfaction in study group was significantly better than that in control group (P=0.036). Conclusion Standardized rehabilitation process can effectively promote the postoperative functional recovery of adult clubfoot treated with Ilizarov technique, reduce the risk of complications and improve effectiveness.
ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of open reduction and internal fixation through anterior and posterior approaches in treatment of open Tile type C pelvic fractures at early stage. MethodsBetween January 2009 and April 2012, 12 patients with open Tile C pelvic fractures were treated. There were 7 males and 5 females, aged 6-53 years (median, 31 years). Of 12 cases, 4 were classified as Tile type C1, 6 as Tile type C2, and 2 as Tile type C3; 5 were rated as Gustilo type Ⅱ and 7 as Gustilo type Ⅲ. The injury severity score was 18-57 (mean, 37.2). The interval of injury and admission ranged from 15 minutes to 3 days (median, 50 minutes). The debridement and external fixation were performed at first stage; then open reduction and internal fixation were used through anterior approach (reconstruction plate) and posterior approach (cannulated lag screws). The vacuum sealing drainage was performed during treatment until the wounds healed. ResultsDelayed healing of incison was obtained in 12 cases because of wound infection. Anatomical reduction or approximate anatomical reduction was achieved in all 12 cases. The patients were followed up 3-39 months (median, 18 months). No loosening of internal fixation or fracture displacement was observed during follow-up. The fracture healing time was 7-13 weeks (mean, 9.7 weeks). At last follow-up, according to the Matta standard, the outcome was excellent in 10 cases and good in 2 cases; according to Majeed score, the results were excellent in 9 cases, good in 1, and poor in 2. ConclusionEarly internal fixation operation of open Tile type C pelvic fractures can effectively restore the pelvic anatomical structure and stability, reduce the complication, and achieve satisfactory effectiveness.
Graphene and its derivatives have good physical and chemical properties and biological properties, which can promote stem cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, and it has antibacterial properties and drug release property. Therefore, it has broad application prospects in the field of orthopedic biomaterials. This paper mainly introduces the research progress of graphene nanocomposite materials applied in the aspects of bone tissue engineering scaffold, bone repair, bone graft materials, etc. in order to provide desirable information for the future application basis and clinical research.
Because of the characteristics such as accurate, efficient and individuation, 3D printing is being widely applied to manufacturing industry, and being gradually expanded into the medical field. Diseases of chest wall is a common type in thoracic surgery, and surgery is a proper treatment to this kind of disease. For the past few years, 3D printing is being gradually applied in surgery of chest wall diseases. The article mainly makes a statement of two parts that including the possibility to apply 3D printing including chest wall reconstruction and chest wall orthopedic, and to analyze the possibility and application prospect of applying 3D printing to the chest wall disease.
The booming three-dimensional laser scanning technology can efficiently and effectively get spatial three-dimensional coordinates of the detected object surface and reconstruct the image at high speed, high precision and large capacity of information. Non-radiation, non-contact and the ability of visualization make it increasingly popular in three-dimensional surface medical mapping. This paper reviews the applications and developments of three-dimensional laser scanning technology in medical field, especially in stomatology, plastic surgery and orthopedics. Furthermore, the paper also discusses the application prospects in the future as well as the biomedical engineering problems it would encounter with.
Objective To conduct a systematic bibliometric analysis of recent research on robot-assisted orthopedic surgery, in order to reveal the research trends, hotspots, main contributors, and future development directions in this field. Methods On August 27, 2024, WoSCC (Web of Science Core Collection Database) was searched and relevant literature on robot-assisted orthopedic surgery from 2003 to 2023 was included. Excel 2016, VOSviewer (version 1.6.10), and CiteSpace (version 6.2.R6) were used for data collection and analysis. Results The total citation frequency of 1718 retrieved literature was 28978 times, with an average citation frequency of 16.87 times per article. The total citation frequency of articles in 2019 was the highest (4330 times), and the publication volume in 2023 was the highest (315 articles). Among the top 5 countries in terms of publication volume, the United States had the highest publication volume and total citation frequency, while China ranked second in terms of publication volume, but had the lowest average citation frequency per article. Analysis of cooperation between countries showed that the United States, China, Germany, and other countries had the most cooperation. Babar Kayani’s articles were cited the most frequently. Among the top 10 institutions in terms of publication volume, the Hospital for Special Surgery (United States) had the highest publication volume, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (United States) had the highest total citation frequency for publications, and the average citation frequency of each article published by the University of Pittsburgh (United States) was the highest. The dynamic evolution of research hotspots suggested that early research mainly focused on the combination of traditional surgical techniques and navigation, while in recent years, research had mainly focused on computer-aided surgery, augmented reality, and medical robotics technology. Conclusions In recent years, significant progress has been made in the research of robot-assisted orthopedic surgery, with the United States taking a leading position in this field and having extensive global cooperation. Research hotspots show that with the continuous development of computer-aided surgery, augmented reality, and robotics technology, the field of orthopedic surgery is evolving towards more precise, individualized, and minimally invasive directions.
Objective To summarize the effectiveness of orthopedic surgery for patients with moderate and severe hallux valgus and analyze its related influencing factors. Methods A clinical data of 247 patients (287 feet) with moderate and severe hallux valgus, who were admitted between January 2013 and October 2024 and met the selection criteria, was retrospectively analyzed. There were 39 males and 208 females, with a median age of 57 years (range, 19-89 years). There were 207 cases of single-foot involvement and 40 cases of double-foot involvement; 159 feet were moderate hallux valgus and 128 feet were severe hallux valgus. The disease duration ranged from 3 months to 25 years, with a median of 5 years and 8 months. The hallux valgus angle (HVA), the intermetatarsal angle (IMA), proximal articular set angle (PASA), and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores were measured before operation and at 6 months after operation, and the differences (change values) between pre- and post-operation were calculated. All patients were grouped according to the degree of preoperative hallux valgus deformity and age, and the patients with severe hallux valgus according to different surgical procedures, and the change values of HVA, IMA, and AOFAS scores were compared between groups. All patients were grouped according to postoperative HVA, then the postoperative AOFAS scores were compared between groups. Results All patients successfully completed the operations and were followed up 6 months to 11 years and 3 months, with an average of 4 years and 6 months. The HVA, IMA, PASA, and AOFAS scores at 6 months after operation showed significant improvement compared to preoperative levels, and the differences were significant (P<0.05). The patients with severe hallux valgus had the higher change values of HVA, IMA, and AOFAS scores than the patients with moderate hallux valgus (P<0.05). The elderly patients had the highest change values of HVA and AOFAS scores than the young and middle-aged patients (P<0.05). The patients with postoperative HVA ranging from 0° to 5° had the highest AOFAS scores than the other patients at 6 months after operation (P<0.05). Among different surgical procedures for severe hallux valgus, the metatarsophalangeal joint fusion had the highest change value of HVA, the Scarf osteotomy had the highest performance in correcting the IMA, and the first metatarsal base osteotomy had the highest improvement in the postoperative AOFAS score, and the differences were significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Elderly patients show the better improvement in HVA and foot function after operation. The first metatarsal base osteotomy show the better improvement in foot function than other surgical procedures. A certain HVA is allowed to remain after hallux valgus correction, and the postoperative AOFAS score is higher when the corrected HVA is in the range of 0°-5°.