Hironobu Taniguchi

Experience of Postoperative Complications in Peritrochanteric Fractures with Gamma Nail

We treated 303 cases of peritrochanteric fractures with the gamma nail from 1992 to 1997. 11 cases showed post-operative complications requiring second-time surgical procedures. 4 cases showed the complications of cutouts, 4 fractures of the femoral shafts, 1 aseptic necrosis of the femoral head, 1 infection of the operative site, and 1 non-union.Incorrect indication of the gamma nail inadequate positioning of the lag screw were major causes of cutouts, and reaming apparently affected the fractures of the femoral shafts, since they were caused even by the slightest force on the femoral bone during walking and falling. Inserting the nail into the fracture line, which poses as an unavoidable disadvantage of the gamma nail, drawback was the cause of the diastasis of the fractures, resulting in the non-union.

The Diagnostic Value o f the Coronal MRI for Lumbosacral Nerve Root Lesions in Lumbar Disc Herniation

The coronal MRI was performed on 23 paients with lumbar disc herniation. Normal lumbosacral nerve roots were well depicted by T1 weighted coronal images. The coronal images demonstrated that a nerve root had deviated laterally by hernial mass. The images had similar diagnostic values to myelography. The coronal MRI was a useful diagnostic method for lumbar disc herniation.