Objective To explore an improved method of treating avascular necrosis of the femoral head in young adults by grafting the sartorius muscle iliac bone flap. Methods From September 1994 to August 2003, 68 patients (57 males, 11 females; age, 16-58 years) underwent of the transplant the sartorius muscle oliac bone flap into the femoral head after decompression of the femoral head medullary core and removal of the dead bone and the fibrous tissue in the femoral head. The transplantation was performed on 31 patients left-unilaterally, on 37 patients rightunilaterally, and on 7 patients bilaterally. The pathological causeswere as follows: alcoholism in 52 patients, prolonged use of hormones in 6, traumain the hip in 6, and undetermined cause in 4. Their illness course ranged from 8 months to 4 years. According the Ficat staging, 10 patients belonged to Stage I (11 sides), 27 patients to Stage Ⅱ (31 sides), and31 patients to Stage Ⅲ (33 sides). Results The follow-up of the 68 patientsfor 2.5-11 years averaged 5.2 years revealed that based on the Harris evaluation for the hip function, 23 patients had an excellent result, 33 had a good result, 10 had a fair result, and 2 had a poor result. The excellent and good resultsaccounted for 82.3%. There was no recurrence after operation. Conclusion Thismethod has the following advantages: the lesion focus can be eradicated; enoughdecompression can be achieved, and the blood circulation for the femoral head can be rebuilt. The grafting of the sartorius muscle iliac bone flap can bring the osteogenesis components to the femoral head, promoting the reconstruction of the bones. This method is suitable and effective for the patients with avascular necrosis of the femoral head (Ficat Grades Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ) in young adults.
OBJECTIVE: Extension stiffness of knee joint is always treated by the quadricepsplasty, but the main deficiency of this method is that patient feels weakness of lower limb and easily kneels down. The aim of this article is to explore the method to resolve the complications after quadricepsplasty. METHODS: Since 1978 to 1997, on the basis of traditional procedures of quadricepsplasty, sartorius muscle was used to reinforce the extension of knee joint. The lower 2/3 of sartorius muscle was fully dissociated only with its insertion intact. A tendon-periosteal-bone flap, about 2 cm in width, was managed on the anterior surface of patella, with its pedicle on the medial edge of patella. The tendon-periosteal-bone flap was used to fix the dissociated sartorious into patella to reinforce the extension of knee joint. The very lower part of sartorius was mainly aponeurosis, with the help of an aponeurosis bundle of iliotibial tract, it was fixed into the insertion of patellar ligament, through a bony tunnel chiseled adjacent to the insertion of patellar ligament. By now the movement of knee joint extension was strengthened by the transferred sartorius muscle. Postoperatively, every patient was required to extend and flex knee joint actively and/or passively. Altogether 12 patients were treated, 9 of them were followed up with an average of 14 months. RESULTS: The average movement was increased from 15 degrees to 102 degrees, and the average myodynamia was improved from grade II to grade IV. CONCLUSION: Traditional quadricepsplasty co-operated with transfer of sartorius muscle can strengthen the myodynamia of knee joint extension. It is simple method and can really achieve good function.