Operative compared with nonoperative treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures: a prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter trial. Intra-articular fractures of the calcaneum treated operatively or conservatively. A prospective study. Elastic stable intramedullary nailing versus nonoperative treatment of displaced midshaft clavicular fractures-a randomized, controlled, clinical trial. Operative vs. nonoperative treatment of intra-articular fractures of the calcaneus: a prospective randomized trial. A multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial of open reduction--internal fixation versus total elbow arthroplasty for displaced intra-articular distal humeral fractures in elderly patients. Improved performance in activities of daily living and mobility after a multidisciplinary postoperative rehabilitation in older people with femoral neck fracture: a randomized controlled trial with 1-year follow-up. Treatment for displaced intracapsular fracture of the proximal femur. A prospective, randomised trial in patients aged 65 to 79 years. Treatment with and without initial stabilizing surgery for primary traumatic patellar dislocation. A prospective randomized study. [Therapy of fresh fibular ligament ruptures].
Open reduction and internal fixation is the treatment of choice for displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures at many orthopaedic trauma centers. The purpose of this study was to determine whether open reduction and internal fixation of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures results in better general and disease-specific health outcomes at two years after the injury compared with those after nonoperative management.
                Patients at four trauma centers were randomized to operative or nonoperative care. A standard protocol, involving a lateral approach and rigid internal fixation, was used for operative care. Nonoperative treatment involved no attempt at closed reduction, and the patients were treated only with ice, elevation, and rest. All fractures were classified, and the quality of the reduction was measured. Validated outcome measures included the Short Form-36 (SF-36, a general health survey) and a visual analog scale (a disease-specific scale).
                Between April 1991 and December 1997, 512 patients with a calcaneal fracture were treated. Of those patients, 424 with 471 displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures were enrolled in the study. Three hundred and nine patients (73%) were followed and assessed for a minimum of two years and a maximum of eight years of follow-up. The outcomes after nonoperative treatment were not found to be different from those after operative treatment; the score on the SF-36 was 64.7 and 68.7, respectively (p = 0.13), and the score on the visual analog scale was 64.3 and 68.6, respectively (p = 0.12). However, the patients who were not receiving Workers' Compensation and were managed operatively had significantly higher satisfaction scores (p = 0.001). Women who were managed operatively scored significantly higher on the SF-36 than did women who were managed nonoperatively (p = 0.015). Patients who were not receiving Workers' Compensation and were younger (less than twenty-nine years old), had a moderately lower Böhler angle (0 degrees to 14 degrees ), a comminuted fracture, a light workload, or an anatomic reduction or a step-off of < or =2 mm after surgical reduction (p = 0.04) scored significantly higher on the scoring scales after surgery compared with those who were treated nonoperatively.
                Without stratification of the groups, the functional results after nonoperative care of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures were equivalent to those after operative care. However, after unmasking the data by removal of the patients who were receiving Workers' Compensation, the outcomes were significantly better in some groups of surgically treated patients. We report a prospective trial of 66 patients with intraarticular fractures of the calcaneum. All fractures were assessed by CT. Patients with displaced fractures were randomised to receive either conservative (n = 31) or operative treatment (n = 25). Undisplaced fractures (n = 10) were treated conservatively. Operation involved open reduction of the posterior subtalar joint, and fixation with Kirschner wires. All 66 patients were reviewed at a minimum of one year (mean 23 months). After conservative treatment the undisplaced fractures had slightly better results than the displaced fractures. There was no significant difference in outcome between the operatively and the conservatively treated displaced fractures. We have also documented prospectively the natural history of the injury, which is of use in assessing prognosis for both clinical and medicolegal purposes. To compare elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) with nonoperative treatment of fully displaced midshaft clavicular fractures in adults.
                The study was a randomized, controlled, clinical trial.
                Level 1 trauma center.
                Sixty patients between 18 and 65 years of age participated and completed the study. They were randomized to either operative or nonoperative treatment with a 2-year follow-up.
                Thirty patients were treated with a simple shoulder sling and 30 patients with ESIN within 3 days after trauma.
                Complications after operative and nonoperative treatments, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score and Constant Shoulder Score for outcome measurement, and clavicular shortening.
                Fracture union was achieved in all patients in the operative group, whereas nonunion was observed in 3 of 30 patients of the nonoperative group. Two symptomatic malunions required corrective osteotomy in the nonoperative group. Medial nail protrusion occurred in 7 cases in the operative group. Implant failure with revision surgery was necessary in 2 patients after an additional adequate trauma. DASH scores were lower in the operative group throughout the first 6 months and 2 years after trauma, with a significant difference during the first 18 weeks. Constant scores were significantly higher after 6 months and 2 years after intramedullary stabilization. Patients in the operative group showed a significant improvement of posttraumatic clavicular shortening; they were also more satisfied with cosmetic appearance and overall outcome.
                ESIN of displaced midshaft clavicular fractures resulted in a lower rate of nonunion and delayed union, a faster return to daily activities, and a better functional outcome. Clavicular shortening was significantly lower, and overall satisfaction was higher in the operative group. Thirty patients with displaced, intra-articular calcaneus fractures were randomized to operative or nonoperative treatment. All patients had two or three major articular fragments of the posterior facet (Sanders type II or III). Nonoperative treatment included early mobilization and delayed weightbearing. Operative treatment involved open reduction and rigid internal fixation with a plate and screws through an extensile, L-shaped lateral approach followed by early mobilization and delayed weightbearing. Fifteen operative patients were evaluated at an average of 17 months follow-up and 11 nonoperative patients were seen at 14 months average follow-up. In the operative group, there were 7 excellent results, 5 good results, 2 fair results, and 1 poor result, and in the nonoperative group there was 1 excellent result, 3 good results, 1 fair result, and 6 poor results (difference significant as P < 0.01). A functional scoring system of 0-100 points was developed based upon the responses to an outcome assessment questionnaire. The average functional score for the operative group was far superior at 86.7, compared with 55.0 for the nonoperative group (P < 0.0001). Subtalar range of motion averaged 20 degrees for the operative group and 17 degrees for the nonoperative group with pain on extremes of motion of 25% of the operative patients compared with 100% of the nonoperative patients. This study is the first prospective, randomized trial to demonstrate the superior results of current operative treatment with early mobilization compared with nonoperative treatment. We conducted a prospective, randomized, controlled trial to compare functional outcomes, complications, and reoperation rates in elderly patients with displaced intra-articular, distal humeral fractures treated with open reduction-internal fixation (ORIF) or primary semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty (TEA). Forty-two patients were randomized by sealed envelope. Inclusion criteria were age greater than 65 years; displaced, comminuted, intra-articular fractures of the distal humerus (Orthopaedic Trauma Association type 13C); and closed or Gustilo grade I open fractures treated within 12 hours of injury. Both ORIF and TEA were performed following a standardized protocol. The Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score were determined at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 2 years. Complication type, duration, management, and treatment requiring reoperation were recorded. An intention-to-treat analysis and an on-treatment analysis were conducted to address patients randomized to ORIF but converted to TEA intraoperatively. Twenty-one patients were randomized to each treatment group. Two died before follow-up and were excluded from the study. Five patients randomized to ORIF were converted to TEA intraoperatively because of extensive comminution and inability to obtain fixation stable enough to allow early range of motion. This resulted in 15 patients (3 men and 12 women) with a mean age of 77 years in the ORIF group and 25 patients (2 men and 23 women) with a mean age of 78 years in the TEA group. Baseline demographics for mechanism, classification, comorbidities, fracture type, activity level, and ipsilateral injuries were similar between the 2 groups. Operative time averaged 32 minutes less in the TEA group (P = .001). Patients who underwent TEA had significantly better MEPSs at 3 months (83 vs 65, P = .01), 6 months (86 vs 68, P = .003), 12 months (88 vs 72, P = .007), and 2 years (86 vs 73, P = .015) compared with the ORIF group. Patients who underwent TEA had significantly better DASH scores at 6 weeks (43 vs 77, P = .02) and 6 months (31 vs 50, P = .01) but not at 12 months (32 vs 47, P = .1) or 2 years (34 vs 38, P = .6). The mean flexion-extension arc was 107 degrees (range, 42 degrees -145 degrees) in the TEA group and 95 degrees (range, 30 degrees -140 degrees) in the ORIF group (P = .19). Reoperation rates for TEA (3/25 [12%]) and ORIF (4/15 [27%]) were not statistically different (P = .2). TEA for the treatment of comminuted intra-articular distal humeral fractures resulted in more predictable and improved 2-year functional outcomes compared with ORIF, based on the MEPS. DASH scores were better in the TEA group in the short term but were not statistically different at 2 years' follow-up. TEA may result in decreased reoperation rates, considering that 25% of fractures randomized to ORIF were not amenable to internal fixation. TEA is a preferred alternative for ORIF in elderly patients with complex distal humeral fractures that are not amenable to stable fixation. Elderly patients have an increased baseline DASH score and appear to accommodate to objective limitations in function with time. To investigate the short- and long-term effects of a multidisciplinary postoperative rehabilitation programme in patients with femoral neck fracture.
                A randomized controlled trial in patients (n = 199) with femoral neck fracture, aged >or= 70 years.
                The primary outcomes were: living conditions, walking ability and activities of daily living performance on discharge, 4 and 12 months postoperatively. The intervention consisted of staff education, individualized care planning and rehabilitation, active prevention, detection and treatment of postoperative complications. The staff worked in teams to apply comprehensive geriatric assessment, management and rehabilitation. A geriatric team assessed those in the intervention group 4 months postoperatively, in order to detect and treat any complications. The control group followed conventional postoperative routines.
                Despite shorter hospitalization, significantly more people from the intervention group had regained independence in personal activities of daily living performance at the 4- and 12-month follow-ups; odds ratios (95% confidence interval (CI) ) 2.51 (1.00-6.30) and 3.49 (1.31-9.23), respectively. More patients in the intervention group had also regained the ability to walk independently indoors without walking aids by the end of the study period, odds ratio (95% confidence interval) 3.01 (1.18-7.61).
                A multidisciplinary postoperative intervention programme enhances activities of daily living performance and mobility after hip fracture, from both a short-term and long-term perspective. We performed a prospective, randomised trial comparing three treatments for displaced intracapsular fractures of the hip in 280 patients aged 65 to 79 years. The mean patient survival was significantly higher in the group undergoing reduction and internal fixation (79 months) compared with that with a cemented Thompson hemiarthroplasty or a cemented Monk bipolar hemiarthroplasty (61 months and 68 months, respectively). After three years, 32 of 93 patients (34.4%) who had undergone fixation had local complications, necessitating further intervention in 28 (30%). There were no significant differences in the functional outcome in survivors, who were reviewed annually to five years. Either reduction and internal fixation or cemented hemiarthroplasty may be offered as alternative treatments for a displaced intracapsular fracture in a mobile and mentally competent patient under the age of 80 years. The choice of procedure by the patient and the surgeon should be determined by the realisation that the use of internal fixation is associated with a 30% risk of failure requiring further surgery. If this is accepted, however, hemiarthroplasty is avoided, which, in our study has a significantly shorter mean survival time. The use of a bipolar prosthesis has no significant advantage. There is no consensus about the management of acute primary traumatic patellar dislocation in young physically active adults. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes after treatment with and without initial stabilizing surgery for primary traumatic patellar dislocation in young adults.
                Forty young adults, thirty-seven men and three women with a median age of twenty years (range, nineteen to twenty-two years), who had an acute primary traumatic patellar dislocation were randomly allocated to be treated with initial surgical stabilization (eighteen patients, with each receiving one of two types of initial stabilizing procedures) or to be managed with an orthosis (twenty-two patients, including four who had osteochondral fragments removed arthroscopically). After a median of seven years, thirty-eight patients returned for a follow-up examination. Redislocations, subjective symptoms, and functional limitations were evaluated. Radiographs and magnetic resonance images were obtained at the time of randomization, and twenty-nine (76%) patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging at the time of final follow-up.
                A hemarthrosis as well as injuries of the medial retinaculum and the medial patellofemoral ligament were found on magnetic resonance imaging in all patients at the time of randomization. During the follow-up period, six of the twenty-one nonoperatively treated patients and none of the seventeen patients treated with surgical stabilization had a redislocation (p = 0.02). Four nonoperatively treated patients and two patients treated with surgical stabilization reported painful patellar subluxation. The median Kujala scores were 91 points for the surgically treated patients and 90 points for the nonoperatively treated patients. Thirteen patients in the surgically treated group and fifteen in the nonoperatively treated group regained their former physical activity level. At the time of follow-up, a full-thickness patellofemoral articular cartilage lesion was detected on magnetic resonance imaging in eleven patients; the lesions were considered to be unrelated to the form of treatment.
                In a study of young, mostly male adults with primary traumatic patellar dislocation, the rate of redislocation for those treated with surgical stabilization was significantly lower than the rate for those treated without surgical stabilization. However, no clear subjective benefits of initial stabilizing surgery were seen at the time of long-term follow-up. In a prospective, random study carried out at the Casualty Clinic of the University Hospital of Hannover from 15 April 1986 to 31 July 1986, 200 patients were randomly selected from four treatment groups, according to treatment: operative-immobilized (group A, n = 52), operative-functional (group B, n = 50), conservative-immobilized (group C, n = 48) and conservative-functional (group D, n = 50). Follow-up examinations were made in 92.5% of patients after 3 months and 64% after 12 months. At the 3-month and 1-year follow-ups, no statistically significant differences were found in the total evaluation (100-point checklist) Moderately significant instability (6 degrees -10 degrees talar tilt and 6-10 mm anterior talar dislocation) in the conservative groups C and D was observed only in the clinical-radiological instability test. This statistically significant difference is, however, only evident in stress tenographically confirmed dual-ligament lesions. No functional physiological differences can be found after 12 months; on average, the period of incapacitation is 3 weeks shorter than with primary functional treatment, but so far there are no long-term results. Until late results are available, we conclude that conservative treatment, even for professional athletes, can be recommended as the procedure most free of risk and most economical; if at all, operative therapy should only be carried out when the instability is very serious.
The bulk of the evidence in this review derives from one large multi-centre but inadequately reported trial conducted over 15 years ago. This found no significant differences between surgical or conservative treatment in functional ability and health related quality of life at three years after displaced intra-articular calcaneal fracture. Though it reported a greater risk of major complications after surgery, subtalar arthrodeses for the development of subtalar arthritis was significantly greater after conservative treatment.
Overall, there is insufficient high quality evidence relating to current practice to establish whether surgical or conservative treatment is better for adults with displaced intra-articular calcaneal fracture. Evidence from adequately powered randomised, multi-centre controlled trials, assessing patient-centred and clinically relevant outcomes is required. However, it would be prudent to reassess this need after an update of the review that incorporates new evidence from a currently ongoing multi-centre trial.