Koji Watanabe
Japan
Research Article
Clinical Outcomes of Conversion Surgery from an External Fixator to an
Iodine-Supported Titanium Alloy Plate
Author(s): Hidenori Matsubara, Toshiharu Shirai, Koji Watanabe, Issei Nomura and Hiroyuki TsuchiyaHidenori Matsubara, Toshiharu Shirai, Koji Watanabe, Issei Nomura and Hiroyuki Tsuchiya
Background: External fixators brought a revolution in orthopaedic surgical treatment after the invention of distraction osteogenesis, which enabled treatment of various difficult diseases. However, they had some drawbacks, such as pin-site infections, psychological pain, and refracture after removal. To overcome these problems, many efforts have been made by shortening of the period of wearing them. One of those methods is conversion to locking plate, which had high risk of infection. To reduce the risk of infection, we performed conversion surgery using iodinesupported titanium plate (We named it iPlates, developed at our department). Questions/purposes: We therefore evaluated (1) Operation time, (2) whether bone union was achieved, (3) blood biochemistry, including thyroid hormone levels, (4) post-surgical complications. Patients and Methods: We assessed 28 legs. There were 13 legs .. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/1948-5948.1000121