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OBJECTIVE: Primary motor (M1) cortical excitability alterations are involved in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Less is known about M1-cortical excitability implications in the acute phase of an orthopedic trauma. This study aims to assess acute M1-cortical excitability in patients with an isolated upper limb fracture (IULF) in relation to pain intensity. METHODS: Eighty-four (56 IULF patients <14 days post-trauma and 28 healthy controls). IULF patients were divided into two subgroups according to pain intensity (mild versus moderate to severe pain). A single transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) session was performed over M1 to compare groups on resting motor threshold (rMT), short-intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical facilitation (ICF), and long-interval cortical inhibition (LICI). RESULTS: Reduced SICI and ICF were found in IULF patients with moderate to severe pain, whereas mild pain was not associated with M1 alterations. Age, sex, and time since the accident had no influence on TMS measures. DISCUSSION: These findings show altered M1 in the context of acute moderate to severe pain, suggesting early signs of altered GABAergic inhibitory and glutamatergic facilitatory activities.

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OBJECTIVES: We hypothesize that a single syndesmotic view, capturing both sagittal and coronal tibiofibular displacement, will be more sensitive than a mortise view to detect syndesmotic instability. METHODS: Ten fresh frozen human lower limbs were used to test the new syndesmotic view with simulated syndesmosis injury. The anteroinferior tibiofibular ligament, interosseous membrane, and posteroinferior tibiofibular ligament were sectioned sequentially. At each stage, the syndesmosis was tested using the external rotation stress (ERS) test and lateral stress test (LST). For each stress condition, a true mortise view and the new syndesmotic view were performed. Medial clear space and tibiofibular clear space (TFCS) were measured on a mortise view, and TFCS was measured on a syndesmotic view (TFCS-s). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare measurements. RESULTS: Syndesmotic view enabled instability detection with a 2-ligament dissection at a mean increase in TFCS-s of 2.37 mm (P = 0.021) and 1.98 mm (P = 0.011), using the ERS and LST, respectively. TFCS on the mortise view was significantly different only with a complete injury. Medial clear space did not vary significantly with injury increments. Sensitivity was 66% and 61% using ERS and LST, respectively, for the TFCS-s, compared with 27% and 33%, respectively, for the TFCS. Specificity was similar for TFCS and TFCS-s. CONCLUSIONS: This study was able to demonstrate that the syndesmotic view is more sensitive than the mortise view in detecting syndesmotic instability in a cadaveric model. It is particularly helpful to uncover instability secondary to an incomplete syndesmosis injury requiring fixation.

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INTRODUCTION: Quadriceps tendon ruptures (QTR) frequently occur in patients with end-stage renal failure, while triceps brachii tendon ruptures (TTR) are less common. This is the first properly documented report of a simultaneous ipsilateral traumatic rupture of both of these tendons. CASE REPORT: A 50-year-old patient, on hemodialysis for end-stage renal failure, fell on his right side. He presented with sudden right knee and elbow pain, with functional impairment of both joints. X-rays showed avulsion-like osseous lesions on the olecranon and patella with a low-riding patella. Ultrasound confirmed complete quadriceps and triceps avulsion ruptures. Both lesions were treated surgically. Fixation was performed with anchors using the Krackow suture technique for both tendons. Postoperative clinical and radiological results were satisfactory, and follow-up was uneventful. The patient regained his preinjury functional level with a complete range of motion of both his knee and elbow. DISCUSSION: Isolated QTR and TTR are frequent lesions in chronic renal failure patients treated with hemodialysis. Simultaneous ipsilateral rupture of both tendons however is extremely rare and should therefore not be overlooked. Surgical treatment is recommended for complete ruptures.

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Greater tuberosity fractures of the humerus can be successfully treated nonsurgically in most patients. However, as little as 3 to 5 mm of superior greater tuberosity displacement may adversely affect rotator cuff biomechanics and lead to subacromial impingement in patients who are active. In these cases, surgical treatment is recommended. Multiple surgical techniques include open and arthroscopic options tailored to fracture morphology, and strategies for repair include the use of suture anchors, transosseous sutures, tension bands, and plates/screws. Three classification systems are commonly used to describe greater tuberosity fractures: the AO, Neer, and morphologic classifications. Several hypotheses have been discussed for the mechanism of greater tuberosity fractures and the deforming forces of the rotator cuff, and the use of advanced imaging is being explored.

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Our aim, through a comparative study of two populations, one European and the other Afro-Caribbean, was to find out whether there were differences in radiographic measurements of femoral diaphyseal canal diameter, thickness of the medial and lateral cortex, and global diaphyseal diameter. We studied the nailed femurs of adult males in a population of 54 Europeans and 52 Afro-Caribbeans. Both populations were comparable in terms of age, height and weight. The measurements were taken with a ruler on the narrowest area of the hourglass, the isthmus, on an antero-posterior radiograph. The diameter of the femoral canal was classified into three intervals: <13 mm, 13-14 mm and >14 mm. The femoral canal diameter was significantly larger in the European patients, 14.3 (11-19) versus 13.4 (11-15.6), while the thickness of the lateral cortex was significantly larger in the Afro-Caribbean patients, 8.50 (6-12) versus 7.72 (5.4-11.5). Patient distribution according to the intervals was different in both groups: 59% of the Afro-Caribbeans were in the average interval versus 24.1% of the Europeans. For nearly 53.7% of the Europeans, the diameter of the femoral canal fell in the last interval versus 15.4% of the Afro-Caribbeans. The fact that the femoral canal is narrower in the Afro-Caribbean population may be linked to a thicker lateral cortex. The diameters of the nails used were larger in the European population, 12.6 mm (10-15) versus 12.1 mm (11-14) in the Afro-Caribbean population. The global diameters of both populations' femurs were similar (28.9 mm for the European sample vs. 29 mm). The present study may have an impact on the implants used in the orthopedic surgery (intramedullary nailing, arthroplasty implants). The range of usable implants must be complete and there must be precise pre-operative planning. A study of computed tomography scans could complement our measurements.

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