The iliopubic tract: an important anatomical landmark in surgery. (1/73)

A band of fascial thickening, termed the iliopubic tract, lies on the posterior aspect of the inguinal region and has been described in the surgical literature as playing an important role during herniorraphy. This study was undertaken to examine the gross and microscopic anatomy of the iliopubic tract in 12 cadavers. The results confirmed that the iliopubic tract can be readily identified as a thickening of the transversalis fascia running deep and parallel to the inguinal ligament. It attaches to the superomedial part of the pubic bone medially, but laterally its fibres fan out within the fascia transversalis and fascia iliaca without bony attachment to the iliac spines. In contrast to the inguinal ligament, the histological analysis of the iliopubic tract shows a high elastin to collagen ratio. The functional significance of this structure merits further study, but there is no doubt that it is important in many approaches to inguinal herniorraphy. For this reason it is considered that the iliopubic tract deserves greater emphasis in the anatomy teaching of the inguinal region.  (+info)

Stress fracture of the hip and pubic rami after fusion to the sacrum in an adult with scoliosis: a case report. (2/73)

Correction of adult scoliosis frequently involves long segmental fusions, but controversy still exists whether these fusions should include the sacrum. It has been suggested that forces associated with activities of daily living transfer the stresses to the remaining levels of the spine and to the pelvis. The case described here was a 43-year-old woman with scoliosis and chronic back pain refractory to non-surgical modalities. Radiographically, the patient had a 110 degree lumbar curve. An anterior and posterior fusion with Luque-Galveston instrumentation was performed. Six months postoperatively the patient returned with a 2-week history of right hip pain with no history of trauma. There was radiographic evidence of a displaced femoral neck fracture and pubic rami fractures. The femoral neck fracture was treated with a total hip replacement. Further surgeries were required to correct a lumbar pseudoarthrosis and hardware failure. We believe that this case provides evidence that fusion into the lumbosacral junction may distribute forces through the pelvic bones and hip resulting in stress and potential hardware complications, especially in patients at risk due to osteopenic conditions.  (+info)

Incidence of pubic bone marrow oedema in Australian rules football players: relation to groin pain. (3/73)

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relation between the clinical features of groin pain and groin magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearances in a group largely comprising elite Australian Rules football players. The incidence of bone marrow oedema and other MRI findings in the pubic symphysis region was noted. The relation between a past history of groin pain and these other MRI findings was also examined. METHOD: In a prospective study, 116 male subjects (89 footballers, 17 umpires, 10 sedentary men) were examined before history taking and groin MRI. The clinical history was not known to the examiner (GMV) and radiologists (JPS, GTF). Clinical evidence of groin pain and examination findings were correlated with the presence of increased signal intensity within the pubic bone marrow. A past history of groin pain was correlated with the presence of other MRI findings such as cyst formation, fluid signal within the pubic symphysis disc, and irregularity of the pubic symphysis. RESULTS: Fifty two athletes (47 footballers, five umpires) had clinical features of groin pain with pubic symphysis and/or superior pubic ramus tenderness. A high incidence of increased signal intensity (77%) within the pubic bone marrow was identified in this group. There was an association between this group of athletes and the MRI finding of increased signal intensity (p<0.01). There was also an association between a past history of groin pain and the presence of other MRI findings (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Athletes with groin pain and tenderness of the pubic symphysis and/or superior pubic ramus have clinical features consistent with the diagnosis of osteitis pubis. The increased signal intensity seen on MRI is due to pubic bone marrow oedema. An association exists between the clinical features of osteitis pubis and the MRI finding of pubic bone marrow oedema. A high incidence of pubic bone marrow oedema was also noted. Degenerative features visualised by MRI, such as subchondral cyst formation, were associated with a past history of groin pain. A stress injury to the pubic bone is the most likely explanation for these MRI findings and may be the cause of the clinical entity osteitis pubis.  (+info)

Solitary bony metastasis as the first sign of malignant gastric tumor or of its recurrence. (4/73)

Symptomatic solitary bony metastasis as the First sign of asymptomatic gastric carcinoma is very infrequent. Only 8 cases reported by 7 authors have been found in the literature. Furthermore, solitary bony metastasis as the sole sign of recurrence after hopefully curative resections are so rare that none has been previously reported in the literature. Three additional instances of solitary and histologically proven osseous metastasis of malignant gastric neoplasms have been observed and treated at Memorial Hospital during the years 1949 through 1969, and are herewith reported.  (+info)

Fractures of the pubic rami. Epidemiology and five-year survival. (5/73)

We reviewed 286 consecutive patients with a fracture of a pubic ramus. The overall incidence was 6.9/100,000/year in the total population and 25.6/100,000/year in individuals aged over 60 years. The mean age of the patients was 74.7 years and 24.5% suffered from dementia. Women were affected 4.2 times more often than men. After injury, geriatric rehabilitation was frequently required and although most surviving patients returned to their original place of residence, their level of mobility was often worse. The overall survival rates at one and five years were 86.7% and 45.6%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age and dementia were the only independent significant factors to be predictive of mortality (p < 0.05). Patients with a fracture of a pubic ramus had a significantly worse survival than an age-matched cohort from the general population (log-rank test, p < 0.001), but this was better than patients with a fracture of the hip during the first year after injury, although their subsequent mortality was higher. Five years after the fracture there was no significant difference in survival between the two groups.  (+info)

Osteomyelitis pubis versus osteitis pubis: a case presentation and review of the literature. (6/73)

An athletic 23 year old man presented with suprapubic tenderness, fever, and raised inflammatory blood variables. A diagnostic laparoscopy was performed, with a presumed diagnosis of retrocaecal appendicitis, but no abnormalities were found, apart from free fluid in the pouch of Douglas. Imaging of the pubic area suggested bony infection and inflammation. Biopsy and culture confirmed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, a very common pathogen. The final diagnosis was osteomyelitis pubis, an infectious disease, and osteitis pubis, an inflammatory disease.  (+info)

Intracranial hemangiopericytoma with extracranial metastasis occurring after 22 years. (7/73)

A 65-year-old man developed pancreatic and pubic tumors 22 years after craniotomy for a left sphenoid ridge tumor. The histological finding of the primary sphenoid ridge tumor was meningotheliomatous meningioma. The histological appearance of the biopsy specimen of the pubic tumor was hemangiopericytoma. The recurrent intracranial tumor was treated by radiosurgery, and the metastatic tumors were treated by conventional irradiation. Intracranial tumors rarely metastasize outside the central nervous system, except for meningeal hemangiopericytomas. This case indicates that meningeal hemangiopericytoma may metastasize many years after the initial onset and requires long-term follow up.  (+info)

Periacetabular osteotomy of the hip: the ilioinguinal approach. (8/73)

Developmental hip dysplasia (DDH) is characterized by an anomalous growth of the hipjoint. Without adequate treatment, the natural history of DDH is development of secondary osteoarthritis in adulthood. The correction of the deformities modifies the biomechanics of the hip, which is important in order to slow down the progression of osteoarthritis and maybe to prevent and postpone this development. The Bernese periacetabular osteotomy is a procedure which reorientates the acetabular articular surface. Several surgical approaches have been used to achieve the same effective osteotomy. No surgical approach represents "the optimum", with selection of appropriate exposure representing a balance of advantages and disadvantages. We used the ilioinguinal approach in 32 periacetabular osteotomies for acetabular dysplasia performed between 1996 and 2002. The operation was successful in 30 patients with acceptable operation time and blood loss and few complications. The advantages and disadvantages with the ilioinguinal approach as compared to other possibile incisions are discussed.  (+info)