Extra-articular Gun-shot Fractures Of The Extremities:

El-sayad Ibrahem El-sayed Masoud

EXTRA- ARTICULAR GUN-SHOT IRACTURESOF THE EXTREMITIES”SUMMARY AND CONCLUS IONS”The recent rise in violent crime in large cities and in rural areas has increased the number of patients needing treatment for gun-shot fractures.A clear understandeng of the extent or surgical treatment necessary for these injuries is important, especially for the orthopaedic surgeons who treat these injuries only occasionally. It is important, therefore, that treating surgeon be aware of the kinds of weapons currently involved in gun-shot injuries, as well as, the mechanism and wounding capacity of such weapons.This study oriented toward the basic question of wound and fracture healing, as well as, have emphasized the problems particular to neuro-vascular injuries.This study was based on 99 patients suffering from extra-articular gun-shot fractures of the extremities, during the period from October 1990 to September 1994. The patients were treated in Nagg-Hammadi, and Tema Hospitals, in upper Egypt, where this type of injuries are common, for a social and traditional factors.The mean age for the patients was 36.7 years. There were 4 females and 95 males, the lower incidence of the females may be explained by the fact that, its shameful- in upper Egypt - to inflict the females in the quarreles.The distribution of the physical locations of the gun-shot wounds was relatively more frequent in the lower extremities (79.79% of the cases) , compared to (20.20% of the cases) their fractures in the upper extremities.The explanation of this phenomenon gained from the cultural behaviour of the assailants, who do not intend to kill the victim. Gun-shot wounds of the arms usually a result of criminal activity, the murderer mostly intends to kill his victim.