Jacques Du Toit

• MBChB (Stel); FC Orth (SA); MSc Clin. Epidemiology (Stel); PhD(Stel)
• Head of Department at Stellenbosch University

Completing a Master of Medicine (MMed) research assignment involves both financial and time commitments. In addition, it requires considerable collaboration among supervisors, registrars, research coordinators, assistants, nurses, and patients. Substantial professional effort is necessary for developing the research concept, reviewing relevant lite...

Socioeconomic status (SES) tends to influence an individual’s access to health care. It is commonly assumed that a poorer SES is associated with a weaker physical health status, especially in disadvantaged populations such as people with cerebral palsy (CP). However, to our knowledge, no study has looked at this assumption. Therefore, the aim of th...

Context Radiographic measurements on full-length lower limb views are the standard for lower limb deformity analysis. The published measurements of Paley et al . [1] on lower limb alignment are the gold standard, but were derived from small adult samples. There are no radiographic measurements reported exclusively of South African children. Aims T...

Background: In South Africa (SA), district hospitals (DHs) have limited capacity to manage the high burden of traumatic injuries. Scaling up decentralised orthopaedic care could strengthen trauma systems and improve timely access to essential and emergency surgical care (EESC). Khayelitsha township in Cape Town, SA, has the highest trauma burden i...

BACKGROUND: Redisplacement of paediatric distal radius fractures is a common problem that may require surgical intervention to avoid suboptimal functional outcomes. Several individual risk factors are known to increase the risk for redisplacement. The aim of this study was to explore and evaluate potential risk factors for redisplacement of the dis...

Background: Severe kyphotic deformity in young children may have devastating outcomes when neglected.Halo-pelvic traction has been shown to be very effective as part of the treatment for severe kyphosis, but little is known about application of this technique in very young individuals. The aim of this case series was to provide novel insights int...

Background Monitoring treatment response is an important precaution in spinal tuberculosis (TB), particularly when the condition was clinically diagnosed rather than bacteriologically confirmed and when drug susceptibility testing was not performed. Conventional monitoring measures have limitations and there is a need for favourable alternatives. T...

BACKGROUND: Clubfoot is a common congenital condition with a global incidence estimated at 1 in 1 000 live births. There is a paucity of information regarding the epidemiology and incidence of clubfoot in South AfricaOBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and the treatment outcomes of children with clubfoot who were tre...

The valgus ankle is a common cause of pain, deformity, and disability in patients. Addressing these deformities with extraarticular osteotomies is a valuable, joint-sparing treatment option. The modified Wiltse osteotomy provides correction of the mechanical alignment as well as allowing inherent stability. Accurate templating of the Wiltse triangl...

Background Spinal tuberculosis (TB) may have a variable, non-specific presentation including back pain with- or without- constitutional symptoms. Further tools are needed to aid early diagnosis of this potentially severe form of TB and immunological biomarkers may show potential in this regard. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility o...

Objective Determine if spinal curvatures, deformities, as well as level of disability (due to back pain) changes with aging in adults with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP) after receiving orthopaedic interval surgery approach (ISA) treatment in childhood. Design Consecutive case-series Setting Urban South Africa Participants Twenty-seven am...

Objectives 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Positron Emission Tomography- Computed Tomography (PET/CT) scans can be used to assess healing following treatment for spinal tuberculosis (TB) but have limited accessibility and high cost. This study investigated the association between immune biomarkers and FDG-PET/CT activity after ≥9 months of treatment f...

Background: Insight into the day-to-day challenges faced by adults living with Cerebral Palsy (CP) in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) will enable support towards healthy ageing in this population. Objectives: To determine changes in level of pain, functional mobility and accomplishment as well as satisfaction in daily life of ambulant adults...

Objectives: To present strength levels of lower extremity muscle groups and test-retest reliability of hand-held dynamometry (HHD) measurements in ambulatory adults with CP and typically developed (TD) adults. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Human motion laboratory. Participants: Fifty-four adults with CP (28 males; GMFCS level I/II/III...

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of spinal deformities in ambulant adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and spastic diplegia, more than 15 years after orthopaedic interval surgery approach (ISA) treatment, and its relationship to contextual factors, level of pain and physical status. Methods Spine x-rays, pain (Oswestr...

Background: Orthopaedic surgery is commonly performed in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and spastic diplegia to improve functional mobility. However, no research has quantified levels of accomplishment and satisfaction in daily activities and participation long-term after surgery. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate 1) the level of accom...

BACKGROUND: Femoral diaphyseal fracture is a common paediatric orthopaedic injury; however, the management of these fractures remains controversial in children between the ages of 6 and 13 years. The preferred approach for children appears to be surgical, enabling early mobilisation. Some studies have reported that submuscular bridge plating (SBP)...

Open tibia fractures are associated with an increased risk of infection, delayed union, non-union and wound complications. Management is aimed at mitigating the risk of infection while optimising the biological and biomechanical environment to encourage soft tissue and bone healing. With ongoing clinical trials and research, our knowledge around be...

Background. It is well established that South Africa (SA) suffers an immense burden of violence and injuries. The responsibility of providing care for these injuries falls mainly on public health services, resulting in overloading of the health system. Prior to a recent intervention, the large burden had been exacerbated by limitations in the tradi...

Background: Single-event multilevel surgery (SEMLS) approach is regarded as the golden standard in developed countries to improve gait and functional mobility in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, this approach is not always feasible in developing countries. Therefore, orthopedic surgery based on an interval surgery approach (ISA) is still...

Oral presentation by Dr MM Eken and third price winner for best oral presentation

The aim of this retrospective review was to assess the overall burden and trend in spinal tuberculosis (TB) at tertiary hospitals in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. All spinal TB cases seen at the province's three tertiary hospitals between 2012 and 2015 were identified and clinical records of each case assessed. Cases were subsequently...

Background Quantifying strength in individuals with physical disabilities, such as cerebral palsy (CP), is essential to compile suitable rehabilitation programs in which strength training has become a central part [1]. However, only limited studies are published on force measurements in adults with CP [2,3]. In addition, no information on variabili...

Background: Three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA) is commonly used to assess the effect of orthopedic single-event multilevel surgery (SEMLS) in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review is to provide an overview of different orthopedic SEMLS interventions and their effects on 3DGA parameters in c...

The aim of this study was to explore the physical status and gait patterns of children with spastic diplegia secondary to human immunodeficiency virus encephalopathy (HIVE). A cross-sectional study was conducted on children diagnosed with HIVE and spastic diplegia. Sociodemographic and clinical background information was obtained, followed by three...