Stability assessment of isolated lateral malleolar supination-external rotation-type ankle fractures

Abstract Isolated lateral malleolar supination-external rotation (SER) -type ankle fractures without incongruity on the standard radiographs can be either stable or unstable depending on the status of the deep deltoid ligament. Neither clinical signs of injury on the medial aspect of the ankle nor the displacement of fibular fracture on mortise radiographs seem to predict stability. Therefore, stress testing has been adopted in clinical use. No “gold standard” method exists but the manual external rotation (ER) stress test is the most extensively studied. The ER stress test has some disadvantages, and other methods—such as gravity stress radiography and magnetic resonance imaging—have been suggested instead. However, the evidence to support the use of these methods is still insufficient. The aims of this dissertation were to assess the roles of (1) morphological factors from standard radiographs of 286 patients, (2) clinical findings on the medial side of the ankle and gravity stress radiography of 79 patients, and (3) MRI of 61 patients in evaluating the stability of the ankle mortise in patients with unimalleolar SER-type fractures with no talar shift on standard radiographs. The ER stress test result was considered to be the reference for stability throughout these studies. We found that a fracture line width < 2 mm in lateral radiographs, only two fracture fragments, and female sex are independent factors predicting a stable ankle mortise. Neither clinical signs on the medial side of the ankle nor gravity stress radiography alone predict the stability of the ankle mortise accurately. According to our MRI findings, total tears of the deep deltoid ligaments are rare, and partial tears are common in this this patient group. The reliability of the MRI assessment is only moderate. In conclusion, patients with non-comminuted fractures and < 2 mm displacement on lateral radiographs have stable ankle mortises and need no further stress testing. The gravity stress radiography is an accurate test for the evaluation of the ankle mortise stability only if the clinical signs indicate a similar result with the gravity stress radiographs. The use of MRI provides no additional benefit compared to ER stress testing for stability evaluation of an SER-type ankle fracture.Tiivistelmä Supinaatio-ulkokiertomekanismilla syntyneet isoloidut ulkokehräsluun murtumat ilman röntgenkuvassa näkyvää telaluun siirtymää voivat olla joko vakaita tai epävakaita nilkan sisemmän nivelsiteen syvän lehden tilasta riippuen. Kliinisessä tutkimuksessa todettujen nilkan sisäreunan vamman merkkien tai röntgenkuvauksella todettavan ulkokehräsluun murtuman virheasennon ei ole osoitettu ennustavan nivelhaarukan mahdollista epävakautta, joten nilkkaa kuormittaen tehtäviä röntgenkuvauksia on otettu kliiniseen käyttöön. Mikään näistä kuvausmenetelmistä ei ole niin sanottu kultainen standardi, mutta ulkokiertovääntötestiä (ER-testi) on tutkittu laajimmin. ER-testin käyttöön liittyy kuitenkin ongelmia, joiden vuoksi niin sanottua painovoimakuvausta tai muun muassa magneettikuvausta (MRI) on ehdotettu käytettäväksi sen sijaan. Näiden menetelmien käyttöä tukeva tieteellinen näyttö on kuitenkin vielä riittämätöntä. Tämän väitöskirjatyön tarkoituksena oli tutkia (1) 286 potilaan tavallisista kuormittamattomista röntgenkuvista morfologisten tekijöiden, (2) 79 potilaan nilkan sisäreunan kliinisen tutkimuksen ja painovoimakuvauksen sekä (3) 61 potilaalla MRI:n merkitystä ja tarkkuutta arvioitaessa supinaatio-ulkokiertomekanismilla syntyneiden ulkokehräsluun murtumien vakautta. ER-testin tulosta käytettiin referenssinä nivelhaarukan vakaudelle kaikissa osatöissä. Sivukuvasta mitattuna ulkokehräsluun murtuman leveys < 2 mm, vain kahden kappaleen murtuma ja naissukupuoli ovat itsenäisiä vakaata nivelhaarukkaa ennustavia tekijöitä. Kliininen tutkimus tai painovoimakuvaus eivät yksinään pysty ennustamaan nivelhaarukan vakautta riittävän tarkasti. MRI:n perusteella sisemmän nivelsiteen syvän lehden täydelliset repeämät ovat tässä vammatyypissä harvinaisia mutta osittaiset repeämät ovat hyvin tavallisia huolimatta ER-testin tuloksesta. MRI:n tulkinnan luotettavuus on ainoastaan kohtalainen. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että ilman ilmeistä telaluun siirtymää röntgenkuvassa yksinkertaiset supinaatio-ulkokiertomekanismilla syntyneet ulkokehräsluun murtumat ovat vakaita eikä nivelhaarukan vakauden testaaminen ole tarpeen, jos murtumaraon leveys sivukuvassa on < 2 mm. Painovoimakuvaus on luotettava, mikäli sen tulos on sama ulkoisten vamman merkkien kanssa. Magneettikuvauksesta ei ole hyötyä arvioitaessa tämän nilkkamurtumatyypin vakautta

A database system for characterization of munitions items in conventional ammunition demilitarization stockpiles

The MIDAS (Munition Items Disposition Action System) database system is an electronic data management system capable of storage and retrieval of information on the detailed structures and material compositions of munitions items designated for demilitarization. The types of such munitions range from bulk propellants and small arms to projectiles and cluster bombs. The database system is also capable of processing data on the quantities of inert, PEP (propellant, explosives and pyrotechnics) and packaging materials associated with munitions, components, or parts, and the quantities of chemical compounds associated with parts made of PEP materials. Development of the MIDAS database system has been undertaken by the US Army to support disposition of unwanted ammunition stockpiles. The inventory of such stockpiles currently includes several thousand items, which total tens of thousands of tons, and is still growing. Providing systematic procedures for disposing of all unwanted conventional munitions is the mission of the MIDAS Demilitarization Program. To carry out this mission, all munitions listed in the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition inventory must be characterized, and alternatives for resource recovery and recycling and/or disposal of munitions in the demilitarization inventory must be identified

Assessment of articular cartilage of ankle joint in stable and unstable unilateral weber type-B/SER-type ankle fractures shortly after trauma using T2 relaxation time

Abstract Background: Early detection of post-traumatic cartilage damage in the ankle joint in magnetic resonance images can be difficult due to disturbances to structures usually appearing over time. Purpose: To study the articular cartilage of unilateral Weber type-B/SER-type ankle fractures shortly post-trauma using T2 relaxation time. Material and Methods: Fifty one fractured ankles were gathered from consecutively screened patients, compiled initially for RCT studies, and treated at Oulu University Hospital and classified as stable (n = 28) and unstable fractures (n = 23) based on external-rotation stress test: medial clear space of ≥5 mm was interpreted as unstable. A control group of healthy young individuals (n = 19) was also gathered. All ankles were imaged on average 9 (range: 1 to 25) days after injury on a 3.0T MRI unit for T2 relaxation time assessment, and the cartilage was divided into sub-regions for comparison. Results: Control group displayed significantly higher T2 values in tibial cartilage compared to stable (six out of nine regions, p-values = .003–.043) and unstable (six out of nine regions, p-values = .001–.037) ankle fractures. No differences were detected in talar cartilage. Also, no differences were observed between stable and unstable fractures in tibial or talar cartilage. Conclusions: Lower T2 relaxation times of tibial cartilage in fractured ankles suggest intact extra cellular matrix (ECM) of the cartilage. Severity of the ankle fracture, measured by ankle stability, does not seem to increase ECM degradation immediately after trauma

Evolution of pancreatic surgery over time and effects of centralization:a single-center retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background: Short-term outcomes of pancreatic surgery have improved globally during the last two decades. Long-term survival of resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has also shown slight improvement. We describe a cohort of 566 consecutive pancreatectomies performed at a Northern Finnish tertiary center. We analyze the trends in short-term outcomes of all-cause pancreatic surgery and long-term survival of PDAC patients. Methods: All pancreatic resections performed at the Oulu University Hospital during years 2000–2020 were included. Patient data was analyzed in four time periods (2000–2005, 2006–2010, 2011–2015 and 2016–2020). Clinicopathological parameters of patients and tumors, complication data and short-term mortality were recorded for all patients and compared between time quartiles. Long-term survival and administration rates of neo-, and/or adjuvant therapy of PDAC patients were analyzed. Results: A total of 566 pancreatectomies were performed during the study period: 359 (63%) pancreatoduodenectomies (PDs), 130 (23.0%) open left pancreatectomies (LPs), 45 (8.0%) laparoscopic LPs, 26 (5.1%) total pancreatectomies (TPs), and 6 (1.1%) enucleations. Median age of patients was 63 [57–71] years, and 49% [267] of patients were men. Number of pancreatectomies per time period increased from 67 in 2000–2005 to 266 in 2016–2020. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Classification III patients and T3 tumors were more frequently operated on in later time periods. Complication rates remained at constant low levels throughout the study period, but reoperation rate increased from 9.4% in 2000–2010 to 16.2% in 2011–2020. Short-term (90-day) mortality after pancreatectomy decreased from 3.1% to 0.74%, while 5-year survival improved from 14.3% in 2006–2011 to 21.4% in 2011–2015. Resection rate of diagnosed PDAC cases, as reported by the Finnish Cancer Registry (FCR) for the catchment area, increased from 3.2% to 14.9% over the study period. Conclusions: The hospital volume of pancreatectomies has increased substantially, while complications and postoperative mortality have remained at acceptable levels. Long-term survival and resection rate of PDAC patients showed notable improvement over two decades

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761)