Despite the introduction of new treatment options and techniques, treatment of four-part fractures is still controversial. 3 Conservative measures are not appropriate for displaced fractures, because they lead to painful mal-union and, unstable or stiff shoulder in most cases. In elderly patients with selleck bio osteoporotic bones and a sedentary life style, the results of the conservative or surgical treatment are closely similar to each other and therefore the latter should not be routinely indicated. 4 In younger active patients, with good quality bone stock, surgical treatment is preferred, thus permitting early rehabilitation measures and leading to better functional results. 5 Minimal osteosynthesis techniques have been developed for the four-part fractures in order to avoid the excessive soft tissue damage of extensive surgical exposures and to avoid compromise of the blood supply to the entire bone.

6 Satisfactory results have been reported with the use of such techniques, particularly concerning pain relief and function. Avascular necrosis of the head dome fragment is a frequent complication, regardless of the type of treatment and fixation technique, and most authors agree that it is quite often an asymptomatic condition, not requiring any further surgical measure. 1 , 6 – 8 Percutaneous pinning, bone sutures, tension band wiring, intramedullary nailing, fragment specific screw fixation, and various types of plates (T-shaped, angled and blocked plates) are among the proposed fixation techniques for such complex fractures, but there is no consistent evidence about the best alternative for active patients.

1 , 5 Actually, the mechanical resistance of different fixation techniques has been studied, but the results obtained in different studies do not authorize the general and unrestricted use of such techniques in clinical situations, considering the different methodology used in each study. 5 , 9 , 10 Therefore, it is our opinion that the minimal fixation for the four-part fractures of the proximal end of the humerus is still a controversial issue regarding the mechanical behavior of different types of fixation, and that deserves further investigation. In the present study, a new biomechanical model involving an aluminum scapula and synthetic humeri was developed to allow closer-to-real biomechanical essays.

The synthetic humeri were fixed onto the aluminum scapulae by means of leather straps corresponding to the supraespinatus, infraespinatus and subscapularis tendons and lower capsula, and four different techniques for minimal fixation of the four-part fractures of the proximal end of the synthetic humeri have Dacomitinib been used. MATERIAL AND METHODS The first step of the investigation was to design a close to real model of the shoulder joint. A plastic human scapula and humeri (Nacional Ossos(r), Ja��, Brazil*), currently used for osteosynthesis drills, were used.

(Figures 4 and and55) Figure 4 Minerva cast. Figure 5 Halo cast. The mean fracture healing time was 3.6 months. None of the patients underwent surgery. The existence of pseudarthrosis, neurological deficit or persistent cervicalgia at the end of the treatment was not reference 2 observed in any of the cases analyzed. The mean follow-up time was 9.6 months. However, it is worth mentioning that in most cases, there was loss of follow-up due to abandonment by the patient within the twelve months after fracture consolidation. None of the patients presented complications resulting from the treatment. (Table 1) Table 1 Summary of patients. DISCUSSION Traumatic spondylolisthesis of the axis, considered one of the most common forms of injury of the high cervical spine, is frequently addressed in an ambiguous manner with regard to its definition.

Some studies address fractures of the laminae, facets, body and/or pedicles as traumatic spondylolisthesis of the axis.1 However, more recent studies restrict the term to fractures of the C2 isthmus. This, in turn, was the approach adopted by the professionals involved in the present survey. Most authors affirm that the hangman fracture presents good prognosis.12,13 Our results corroborated this statistic. There was no need for surgical approach in any of the cases, and no progression of neurological deficit was observed. It is assumed that the absence of neurological lesion is a consequence of the decompression of the cervical canal resulting from this type of fracture.14,15 Thus, the incidence of neurological deficit is low, according to similar studies.

Among the analyzed cases, only one presented initial deficit, with total recovery in the follow-up period. The classification proposed by Effendi for this type of fracture suggests that subtype IIa requires differentiated treatment. However, although it is a fracture that is effectively different from type II, we did not observe relevant differences in the patients’ evolution, when we weighted the form of treatment and the healing time. This observation can also be verified in other studies.16 Considering the extremely low incidence of pseudarthrosis in traumatic spondylolisthesis of the axis, it is necessary to consider the possibility of offering a more comfortable form of treatment to the patient. At our Institute, the most common treatment used was the Minerva cast.

However, a less rigid form of Entinostat immobilization can be an equally safe and more comfortable option, in some cases.14,16,17 The fact that considerable importance is attached to the patient’s comfort is particularly relevant if we consider that, in the conservative treatment, immobilization will be used for a minimum period of 12 weeks. Satisfactory end results were observed in 100% of the patients. None of the patients analyzed presented unstable fracture, i.e., type III, confirming the rarity of this type of injury.

86 The only concern selleckbio that persists is a possible increased risk of hypospadias in male offspring exposed to exogenous progestins87,88; even if real, however, this risk is limited to exposure prior to 11 weeks of gestation and, as such, is not relevant to the current discussion. Economic Analyses of Progesterone Supplementation In light of the discussion above, the potential clinical benefits of progesterone supplementation appear large, whereas the risks seem small in comparison. A number of investigators have carried out formal economic analyses in an attempt to quantify the benefit.

These include: (i) cost-effectiveness analysis, which is designed to evaluate whether the cost of a given intervention is worth the clinical improvement that it generates, (ii) cost-utility analysis, a type of cost-effectiveness analysis in which the results are reported in quality-adjusted life years (QALY); a threshold of $50,000 to $100,000 per QALY is generally used to determine whether an intervention is cost effective; and (iii) cost-benefit analysis, which considers all of the outcomes in a more complex economic analysis. An intervention is deemed cost beneficial if it leads to overall financial savings. Thus, whereas the cost-benefit analysis of a given intervention is only positive if it saves money, a cost-effectiveness analysis is designed to determine whether the costs are worth the outcomes achieved. There have been several economic analyses of the use of 17P for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth.

In the cost-utility analysis by Odibo and colleagues,89 the authors report that the use of 17P is associated with both a reduction in cost and an improvement in perinatal outcome. Such a finding is called a dominant strategy. This was true when modeling for women with a prior preterm birth < 32 weeks of gestation and for women with a prior preterm birth at 32 to 37 weeks of gestation. In their cost-benefit analysis, Bailit and Votruba90 estimated the societal benefits of treating all women with a prior preterm birth with 17P at approximately $1.98 billion. However, if progesterone could prevent preterm birth in women at risk during their first pregnancy, the savings might be even larger.

In a recent cost-utility analysis, Cahill and colleagues91 found that a protocol of screening all women for cervical length and administering vaginal progesterone t
In 1935, Stein and Leventhal published a case series of seven women with amenorrhea, hirsutism, and bilateral polycystic ovaries, a condition that later came to be known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).1 PCOS is now recognized as the most common endocrinopathy in reproductive-aged women (affecting 5%�C7%), with key features of menstrual irregularity, elevated androgens, and polycystic-appearing Batimastat ovaries. Since its original description in 1935, however, the definition of PCOS has undergone several revisions (Table 1).

Endometrial Ablation In the 1990s, if medical therapies failed to control HMB, a hysterectomy was the only definitive surgical option available. Since then, a number of surgical options have been developed. Endometrial ablation destroys and removes the endometrium novel along with the superficial myometrium. First-generation endometrial ablation involved distending the uterine cavity with fluid and resecting the tissue with an electrosurgical loop. Second-generation methods use thermal balloon endometrial ablation (TBEA), microwave endometrial ablation (MEA), hydrothermablation, bipolar radiofrequency (RF) endometrial ablation, and endometrial cryotherapy. In comparison with first-generation methods, the second-generation methods do not need to be carried out under direct uterine visualization and tend to be easier to learn.

A 2004 systematic review consisting of 2 reviews and 10 RCTs examined the safety and effectiveness of MEA and TBEA for HMB; the rate of amenorrhea 1 year after treatment ranged between 36% and 40% for MEA and between 10% and 40% for TBEA.19 Uterine Artery Embolization In women in whom fibroids are the cause of the HMB, two further surgical options are available: uterine artery embolization (UAE) and myomectomy. UAE is usually performed by an interventional radiologist on a sedated patient. It involves injecting small polyvinyl particles into the uterine arteries through a catheter that is inserted via the femoral artery; this causes the eventual blockage of the feeding capillaries associated with the myoma.

The eventual loss of the blood supply to the fibroids causes them to shrink, thereby allowing us to treat the cause of the HMB. Myomectomy, on the other hand, involves the surgical removal of fibroids and can be done by laparotomy, laparoscopy, or hysteroscopically. UAE is often preferred over myomectomy as it is a quicker procedure and is associated with a shorter hospital stay. A recent systematic review, however, favored myomectomy to UAE as the rates of re-intervention were fewer when compared with UAE.20 A further cohort study analyzed the outcomes associated with myomectomy versus UAE; at 14 months, a greater reduction in menorrhagia was seen in the UAE group (92%) compared with the myomectomy group (64%).21 Hysterectomy Although the most radical form of management of HMB, hysterectomy does provide a definitive cure for menorrhagia.

It involves the surgical removal of the uterus. Until approximately the 1990s, hysterectomy was considered as the only viable surgical treatment for HMB. Because of the morbidities associated with a hysterectomy, the permanent repercussions of the surgery, and its cost to the National Health Service, there is a strong incentive to reduce the Drug_discovery number of hysterectomies performed and to encourage conservative modes of treatment such as the LNG-IUS, endometrial ablation, and UAE as management options for HMB.