Outcome of paediatric supracondylar humeral fractures treated by surgery at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali, Rwanda

Background: Supracondylar humeral fractures are common elbow injuries in children. When these fractures are managed improperly, patients end up having complications that interfere with daily activities. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the functional outcome of supracondylar humeral fractures treated with surgery at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali, Rwanda. Methodology: This was a combined retrospective and cross-sectional observational study. The sample size was 108. Theatre logs and OPD files were used to obtain patients' clinical information. Functional outcome was evaluated using QuickDASH score. Results: Children having 6 to 10 years of age were predominant (54.6%). Male to female ratio was 1.9:1. The left elbow was most affected (60.2%). Seventy five patients (69.4%) were within normal range, 27 (25.0%) patients had mild disability, 5 (4.7%) patients had moderate disability, and 1 (0.9%) patient had severe disability. There were no patients with very severe disability. The most common complication was elbow stiffness (59.3%), followed by gunstock deformity (27.1%). The only determinant of functional outcome found was the time (within 4 days or beyond) from injury to management (OR: 0.993, 95% CI: {0.987-1.000}, p-value: 0.048). Conclusion: For operable supracondylar humeral fractures in children, operation within 4 days and good follow up of patients in postoperative period are crucial for good functional outcome

Imaging of bone tumours for the musculoskeletal oncology surgeon.

The appropriate diagnosis and treatment of bone tumors requires close collaboration between different medical specialists. Imaging plays a key role throughout the process. Radiographic detection of a bone tumor is usually not challenging. Accurate diagnosis is often possible from physical examination, history, and standard radiographs. The location of the lesion in the bone and the skeleton, its size and margins, the presence and type of periosteal reaction, and any mineralization all help determine diagnosis. Other imaging modalities contribute to the formation of a diagnosis but are more critical for staging, evaluation of response to treatment, surgical planning, and follow-up.When necessary, biopsy is often radioguided, and should be performed in consultation with the surgeon performing the definitive operative procedure. CT is optimal for characterization of the bone involvement and for evaluation of pulmonary metastases. MRI is highly accurate in determining the intraosseous extent of tumor and for assessing soft tissue, joint, and vascular involvement. FDG-PET imaging is becoming increasingly useful for the staging of tumors, assessing response to neoadjuvant treatment, and detecting relapses.Refinement of these and other imaging modalities and the development of new technologies such as image fusion for computer-navigated bone tumor surgery will help surgeons produce a detailed and reliable preoperative plan, especially in challenging sites such as the pelvis and spin

Imaging of bone tumours for the musculoskeletal oncology surgeon.

The appropriate diagnosis and treatment of bone tumors requires close collaboration between different medical specialists. Imaging plays a key role throughout the process. Radiographic detection of a bone tumor is usually not challenging. Accurate diagnosis is often possible from physical examination, history, and standard radiographs. The location of the lesion in the bone and the skeleton, its size and margins, the presence and type of periosteal reaction, and any mineralization all help determine diagnosis. Other imaging modalities contribute to the formation of a diagnosis but are more critical for staging, evaluation of response to treatment, surgical planning, and follow-up.When necessary, biopsy is often radioguided, and should be performed in consultation with the surgeon performing the definitive operative procedure. CT is optimal for characterization of the bone involvement and for evaluation of pulmonary metastases. MRI is highly accurate in determining the intraosseous extent of tumor and for assessing soft tissue, joint, and vascular involvement. FDG-PET imaging is becoming increasingly useful for the staging of tumors, assessing response to neoadjuvant treatment, and detecting relapses.Refinement of these and other imaging modalities and the development of new technologies such as image fusion for computer-navigated bone tumor surgery will help surgeons produce a detailed and reliable preoperative plan, especially in challenging sites such as the pelvis and spin

Patients who leave the emergency department without being seen and their follow-up behavior: a retrospective descriptive analysis

Past studies suggest that patients who leave without being seen by a physician (LWBS) from a hospital’s emergency department (ED) represent a quality and safety concern, and thus LWBS rates have often been used as an ED performance metric. There are few recent studies, however, that have examined the characteristics of the LWBS population at hospitals in the United States

Patients who leave the emergency department without being seen and their follow-up behavior: a retrospective descriptive analysis

Past studies suggest that patients who leave without being seen by a physician (LWBS) from a hospital’s emergency department (ED) represent a quality and safety concern, and thus LWBS rates have often been used as an ED performance metric. There are few recent studies, however, that have examined the characteristics of the LWBS population at hospitals in the United States

Salivary gland second cancer after bone sarcoma treatment

Second malignant neoplasms (SMN) or second cancers may occur in 2-5 % of childhood cancer survivors within 5-25 years after diagnosis and treatment of a bone sarcoma. The most common are leukemia and breast cancer; salivary gland SMN are exceptional. To enhance the literature, we reviewed our patients with bone sarcomas and evaluated the incidence and outcome of salivary gland SMN

Imaging tumors of the patella.

Background: Patellar tumors are rare; only a few series have been described in the literature and radiographic diagnosis can be challenging. We reviewed all patellar tumors at one institution and reviewed the literature. Materials and methods: In an evaluation of the database at one institution from 1916 to 2009, 23,000 bone tumors were found. Of these, 41 involved the patella. All had imaging studies and microscopic diagnostic confirmation. All medical records, imaging studies, and pathology were reviewed. Results: There were 15 females and 26 males, ranging from 8 to 68 years old (average 30). There were 30 benign tumors; eight giant cell tumors, eight chondroblastomas, seven osteoid osteomas, two aneurysmal bone cysts, two ganglions, one each of chondroma, exostosis, and hemangioma. There were 11 malignant tumors: five hemangioendotheliomas, three metastases, one lymphoma, one plasmacytoma, and one angiosarcoma. Conclusion: Patellar tumors are rare and usually benign. As the patella is an apophysis, the most frequent lesions are giant cell tumor in the adult and chondroblastoma in children. Osteoid osteomas were frequent in our series and easily diagnosed. Metastases are the most frequent malignant diagnoses in the literature; in our series malignant vascular tumors were more common. These lesions are often easily analyzed on radiographs. CT and MR define better the cortex, soft tissue extension, and fluid levels. This study presents the imaging patterns of the more common patellar tumors in order to help the radiologist when confronted with a lesion in this location. \ua9 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved