OPAT is practicable and effective and may be the best alternative treatment for patients suffering from osteomyelitis requiring intravenous therapy.

No abstract

There are no guidelines on the value of suction drainage fluid culture (SDC), and it is difficult to determine whether the organisms cultured from suction drainage fluid samples are pathogenic or simply contaminants. We performed 2989 cultures of suction drainage fluid samples obtained, during a 1-year period, from 901 patients who underwent aseptic or septic orthopedic surgery (946 operations). The culture results were analyzed to evaluate their ability to detect postoperative infection after aseptic operations or to detect either a persistent or new episode of sepsis in patients known to have infection. For aseptic operations, the sensitivity of SDC was 25%, the specificity was 99%, the positive predictive value was 25%, and the negative predictive value was 99%. For septic operations, the sensitivity of SDC was 81%, the specificity was 96%, the positive predictive value was 87%, and the negative predictive value was 94%. We conclude that, for aseptic orthopedic surgery, SDC is not useful in detecting postoperative infection. However, for septic orthopedic surgery, it is of clinical importance.

IntroductionFlexion tear-drop fractures (FTDF) represent up to 15% of overall recent cervical spine injuries. It is a highly unstable condition with a high incidence of neurological complications. It was first described by Schneider and Kahn [20] in 1956 as a body fracture following an "acute flexion" injury with a wedge separation of the antero-inferior aspect of the vertebral body. It has unique associated radiological features, such as backward displacement of the fractured body, posterior displacement of the upper column of the divided cervical spine, widening of the interlaminar and interspinous spaces, and kyphotic deformity of the cervical spine at the level of injury [11]. Some additional features only became recognized with the use of polytomography and the advent of CT imaging [7,15], such as a frequently associated sagittal split fracture through the vertebral body and one or both laminae. Due to disruption of the three columns and the high potential Abstract Flexion tear-drop fractures (FTDF) in the cervical spine constitute a highly unstable condition with a high incidence of neurological complications due to posterior displacement of the fractured vertebra in the spinal canal. The widely accepted surgical management for this condition includes complete excision and grafting of the vertebral body through an anterior approach. Thorough radiological and CT analysis of FTDF shows that the vertebral body is often separated into two parts by a sagittal plane fracture, but remains continuous through the pedicle and anterior arch of the vertebral foramen with the lateral mass and the articular processes. We therefore hypothesized that reduction would be possible by acting on the articular process through a posterior approach with a particular plating technique. Eight patients with FTDF were operated on with the technique we describe. Three had complete tetraplegia, four had incomplete tetraplegia and one was normal. A preoperative CT scan was made in all patients. Local kyphosis, posterior displacement of the vertebral body, and general lordosis in the cervical spine were recorded. In all cases, a satisfactory reduction was achieved on the postoperative radiographs and at the mean follow-up of 18.6 ± 12.1 months, with residual posterior displacement being less than 1 mm. No complication occurred. Out of seven neurologically impaired patients, five showed some motor recovery at the latest follow-up. The posterior technique is described, and the rationale and pros and cons are discussed. The study showed that posterior reduction and fixation of flexion tear-drop fracture is not only possible, but permits an accurate restoration of the anatomy of the fractured cervical spine.

We report three patients in whom a fractured odontoid process was associated with a fracture of the superior articular process of the second cervical vertebra. Although there were no signs of neurological disorder, damage to the C1-C2 joint in all three patients made fusion necessary. Forced lateral flexion is suggested as the possible mechanism of injury.