This is the first report of a long-term follow-up of an open bicondylar Hoffa with patella fracture. It is interesting to note the radiological changes of osteoarthritis 15 years after global intra-articular injury of the distal femur. The good clinical outcome is possibly due to the integrity of the knee ligaments and reconstruction of the extensor mechanism in addition to stable anatomical reduction and fixation.
Introduction: The key important factor influencing the outcomes following rehabilitation is the surgical approach involved in Total Knee Replacement (TKR). Most studies have analysed the functional outcome in comparing the approaches on surgical perspective rather on post-operative therapeutic interventions. The current study was to analyse the effects of structured TKR rehabilitation programme on the quality of life and joint specific outcomes between two different surgical approaches. Materials and Methods: In this double-blind randomised controlled trial, participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups: Group 1- those who underwent medial parapatellar approach and Group 2- those who underwent mid-vastus approach. Both groups received three-phase structured rehabilitation protocol for 12 weeks. The outcome measures of SF-36, knee mobility, isometric knee musculature strength and six-minute walk distance were measured at baseline, on discharge and at review after three months. Results: The quality of life and joint specific outcome scores were better in mid-vastus approach than the popular medial parapatellar approach. The outcomes of knee flexion mobility (p=0.04), knee extension mobility (p=0.03), isometric muscle strength of quadriceps (p=0.001), isometric muscle strength of hamstrings (p=0.03), six-minute walk distance (p=0.001) and Physical Cumulative Scores (PCS) (p=0.03) were found to exhibit significant improvements at three months follow up. Conclusion: The mid-vastus approach was found to exhibit better improvements following structured rehabilitation care, in physical summary scores of quality of life and joint specific outcomes than medial parapatellar approach.
We report on a 12 years old female patient who had been diagnosed with patellofemoral instability - recurrent dislocation and anterior knee pain. Radiologic evaluation further revealed osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the lateral femoral trochlea. She underwent surgical procedure with isolated medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction, no surgical procedure was done to the OCD lesion. Postoperatively, there was clinical improvement of patellofemoral instability, with radiological evidence of healing of the OCD lesion. Isolated realignment procedures such as medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction may be associated with spontaneous healing of osteochondritis dissecans of the lateral femoral trochlea.
Introduction: Periprosthetic fractures are a devastating complication following total knee arthroplasty. Little is known about the effect of mechanical factors on the incidence of periprosthetic fractures. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between pre-operative mechanical factors, like side of surgery, coronal alignment and pre-operative range of motion and intra-operative factors, and the incidence of a periprosthetic fracture, following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients with periprosthetic fractures (PPF) after primary TKA were identified from our hospital arthroplasty registry. These patients were matched two-to-one for gender and age at primary knee arthroplasty to 84 patients without PPF. The incidence of periprosthetic fracture with regards to laterality, coronal alignment and pre-operative range of motion was analysed. Intra-operative factors like implant type, patellar resurfacing and notching were also analysed using logistic regression. Results: Coronal alignment, pre-operative range of motion and patella resurfacing were not significant predictors of periprosthetic fractures. Anterior femoral notching was found to be significantly higher in the fracture group with an odds ratio of 17. Left sided surgery was also significantly higher in the periprosthetic fracture group. Conclusion: Periprosthetic fractures are 17 times more likely to occur in a knee with anterior femoral notching. Preoperative factors like coronal alignment and poor preoperative range of motion do not seem to increase the risk of periprosthetic fractures after TKA.
Osteopetrosis (OP) is a rare hereditary sclerosing bone dysplasia characterised by generalised hard and brittle bone secondary to defective osteoclastic function. Osteopetrotic bone is brittle, thus these subjects are prone to frequent fractures, particularly of the long bones. Due to defective osteoclastic function, remodeling is also defective in OP. This report is a case of humeral fracture in a 9 years old girl who was followed seven years. The fracture had remodeled totally similar to healthy bone at the final follow-up. Conservative treatment should be kept in mind in the management of fractures in children with OP, and fractures within acceptable angulations and/or translations should be treated conservatively without hesitation.
Meniscectomy is the most common surgery in orthopaedics. The absence of meniscal tissue might be related to irreversible damage to the articular cartilage. Meniscal replacement is a tissue-engineering technique for post-meniscectomy syndrome. Its success depends on the implant integration which was vastly proven in animal model studies. Histological evidence is hard to obtain in humans due to ethical issues. We report a clinical case in which a collagen scaffold meniscal implant was harvested six months after implantation due to mechanical failure. Histological analysis was performed revealing vascularisation not only of the peripheral attachment of the implant but also on the anterior horn. These morphologic findings demonstrate that this implant allows the colonisation by precursor cells and vessels, leading to the formation of a fully functional tissue. This present report is one of the few independent reports of scaffold biological integration in the literature.
A 58-year old female patient presented to us with a three months' old fracture of the neck of femur. She underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasty. In the immediate postoperative period, she developed deep vein thrombosis for which she was started on anticoagulant therapy. Patient had persistent discharge from the wound since then and underwent regular dressings. On the eighth post-op day, she developed sciatic nerve palsy secondary to wound haematoma. The haematoma was decompressed immediately and she had a dramatic improvement in pain but her neurological deficit persisted. The wound healed completely without any complications. At three months follow up, she had recovered completely with grade 5/5 power in ankle and foot and full sensory recovery in the sciatic nerve distribution. She was ambulating comfortably with a walker. At final follow up around 20 months post-operation, she was pain-free and walking without any support. The wound had healed completely.
Treatment of chronic Rockwood's type V Acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation remains controversial. We describe a surgical technique to reduce and maintain AC joint using a combination of gracilis autograft with GraftMax™ button (Conmed Inc, Utica, NY). Graft was prepared using running whip stitch technique with No. 5 Hi-Fi high strength suture (ConMed Linvatec, Largo, FL). Our technique reduces intraoperative clavicular and coracoid tunnel fracture and restores anatomical coracoclavicular ligament. At sixth week and third month postoperatively, the patient demonstrated good clinical and radiographic outcome.
Scapular abscess is a rare clinical diagnosis. This is a report of an atypical case of extensive intramuscular scapular abscess involving the anterior and posterior aspects of the scapula with extension into the axillary region following minor trauma in a young healthy adolescent, describing a single posterolateral approach to the scapula to evacuate the abscess. Following surgical drainage and antibiotic treatment, patient recovered without any complication.
Congenital humeroradial synostosis can occur as an isolated clinical entity or as part of a syndrome. Bilateral elbow fixed flexion deformity is very incapacitating and challenging to treat. Here we present the case of a boy with fixed flexion deformity of both elbows due bilateral humeroradial synostosis. Other characteristic features of multiple synostoses syndrome were also present in this child, his elder brother and mother. We elected to improve the position of the right elbow by adapting the modified French osteotomy described by Bellemore et al.
Hip geometry abnormalities found in patients with hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) could promote premature hip joint degeneration which needs treatment. We report the case of a 45-year old male with right hip arthrosis who underwent two-incision minimally invasive (MIS-2) total hip arthroplasty (THA), with satisfactory outcome. This technique could be an alternative approach for performing THA in patients with hereditary multiple exostoses.
Giant cell tumour (GCT) is a benign tumour but can be locally aggressive and with the potential to metastasise especially to the lungs. Successful treatments have been reported for long bone lesions; however, optimal surgical and medical treatment for spinal and sacral lesions are not well established. In treating spinal GCTs, the aim is to achieve complete tumour excision, restore spinal stability and decompress the neural tissues. The ideal surgical procedure is an en bloc spondylectomy or vertebrectomy, where all tumour cells are removed as recurrence is closely related to the extent of initial surgical excision. However, such a surgery has a high complication rate, such as dura tear and massive blood loss. We report a patient with a missed pathological fracture of T12 treated initially with a posterior subtraction osteotomy, who had recurrence three years after the index surgery and subsequently underwent a three level vertebrectomy and posterior spinal fusion.
Disc herniation is one of most common causes of spine surgery. Because of the presence of posterior longitudinal ligaments, disc fragments often migrate into the ventral epidural space. A posterior epidural herniation of a disc fragment is a rare occurrence. We report two cases of posterior migrated disc fragments, with, radiological and clinical findings. Because of the rarity of a posterior migration of the intervertebral disc fragments, a differential diagnosis can be challenging. This painful syndrome associated with neurological lower limb deficits can be confused initially, with other posterior epidural space-occupying lesions such as tumours, abscess or hematomas. A gadolinium-enhanced MRI scan is the gold standard for a correct diagnosis. Early surgical decompression of the spine with a posterior approach remains the optimal technique in ensuring the best possible outcome for the patient.
Introduction: Early diagnosis of osteoarticular tuberculosis (OATB) is essential to prevent significant functional disability. There is no single test for diagnosis. Despite an array of investigations available, definitive diagnosis at early stage before starting antitubercular drugs is still a challenge. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out between February 2016 and October 2017. All children less than 18 years of age with suspected osteoarticular tuberculosis were included. The cases were subjected to simple needle aspiration from whichever site was accessible. Multiple sample aspirations were done at site of involvement. Smears were prepared from the aspirated material. Results: Ziehl-Neelsen staining for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) showed deep pink red rods under light microscopy. Features suggestive of tuberculosis can be seen by May-Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG) staining. Auramine-O staining method of detecting AFB under fluorescent microscope shows the bacilli as greenish yellow slender curved rods in dark background. Fluorescent microscopy has higher sensitivity and comparable specificity. In our study, microbiological confirmation of OATB could be done in 100% cases where the lesion could be accessed for aspiration. The molecular techniques are relatively more expensive and not available everywhere. Conclusion: Meticulous search for AFB in a well stained smear using three different staining methods provides a direct evidence of infection over costly imaging especially in poor patients seen in resource limited settings.
Introduction: Ankle arthrodesis using the Ilizarov technique provides high union rate with the added benefits of early weight-bearing, and the unique advantage of its ability to promote regeneration of soft tissue around the bone, including skin, muscle and neuro-vascular structures, and its versatility to allow correction of the position of the foot by adjusting the frame post-operatively as needed. We describe our experience with this technique and the functional outcomes in our patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in 20 ankle fusion cases using the Ilizarov method between the years 2007 and 2017. We defined success in treatment by loss of preoperative symptoms and radiological union on plain radiographs of the ankle. Results: Fusion was achieved in all patients (100%). Immediate post-operative ambulation was with full weight bearing (FWB) in 16 (83%) of the participants and non-weight bearing (NWB) in 3 patients (17%). Post-procedure 11 patients (67%) of the participants who were full weight bearing required some form of support for walking for 2-3 weeks. Post-operatively three patients had pin tract infection requiring intravenous antibiotics. Radiological union took range of 6-12 weeks, mean union time was 8 weeks. Only one patient required bone grafting due to bone loss. Average follow-up period was 10-45 months. Conclusion: The Ilizarov technique has a high union rate and leads to general favourable clinical outcome and may be considered for any ankle arthrodesis but is especially useful in complex cases such as for revisions, soft-tissue compromise, infection and in patients with risk for non-union. Early weight bearing is an extra benefit.
Introduction: Restoration of a functional hand is the ultimate goal following a distal radius tumour resection. The early outcomes of mobile wrist reconstruction are satisfactory; however, long-term results are unpredictable due to late wrist instability and degenerative arthritis. Our aim is to compare mobile wrist reconstruction with wrist fusion (pan-carpal fusion) in our cohort of patients. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed for functional outcomes of all patients who underwent resection for distal radius tumour and treated with either fusion or reconstruction of the wrist in a single institution from years 2000-2013 with a minimum of three years follow-up. Results: Eleven patients were included in the study, six of whom had wrist reconstruction with proximal fibula graft and the remaining five wrist fusion, with a mean follow-up of 6.3 years. The mean Musculoskeletal Tumour Society (MSTS) score was 82.78%, ranging from 70% to 93.3%. Average grip strength compared to the normal contralateral hand was 60.0% for total wrist fusion, which was better than wrist reconstruction with 58.07%. There was no difference in the functional outcome between fusion and mobile reconstruction in our study. Osteoarthritis changes and subluxation of the wrist joint were the most common findings in the long-term follow-up for this group. Conclusion: There was no difference in the functional outcome of the long-term follow-up between the two groups.
Acquired radial clubhand deformity can be a consequence of large bone gap left by premature extensive radius osteomyelitis sequestrectomy. Single-bone forearm reconstruction is a salvage procedure when other motion-preserving techniques are not feasible. Here we present a child who developed radial clubhand deformity after an untimely sequestrectomy of radius diaphysis. In view of limited microsurgical expertise in our centre, single-bone forearm procedure was done utilising simple Kirshner wires to achieve radio-ulnar fusion. The procedure resulted in pain-free stable wrist, restoration of hand function and improved cosmesis.
Introduction: Plating in distal tibia fractures are associated with higher rate of soft tissue complications. As adequate soft tissue cover is available over anterolateral surface of the tibia, use of anterolateral plate fixation in distal tibia fractures has increased. The purpose of our research is to evaluate the outcomes of anterolateral locking plate fixation in distal tibia fractures using ORIF. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 25 patients, who had distal tibia fractures and underwent open reduction and anterolateral plating. Bone and soft tissue healing and complications encountered were analysed. Result: Full weight bearing was allowed at an average of 5.4 months (range: 3-12 months) after seeing radiological union. We have observed superficial wound infection in four cases. Two cases had marginal necrosis, two cases had sensory disturbance over dorsolateral aspect of foot and two cases had delayed non-union. Mean length of surgical incision was 9cm (range: 5-12 cm). Conclusion: Open reduction internal fixation of distal tibia fractures with anterolateral plating is a reliable way of fracture fixation and stabilisation with proper surgical technique and aseptic precautions.
Introduction: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) is one of the available treatments for vertebral compression fracture (VCF). Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is the most common bone substitute used in the procedure, but it has several disadvantages. Bioceramic material, such as hydroxyapatite (HA), has better biological activity compared to PMMA. The aim of this study was to find an optimal biomaterial compound which offers the best mechanical and biological properties to be used in PV. Materials and Methods: This was an experimental study with goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) as an animal model. The animals' vertebral columns were injected with PMMA-HA compound. Animal samples were divided into four groups, and each group received a different proportion of PMMA:HA compound. The mechanical and biological effects of the compound on the bone were then analysed. The mechanical effect was assessed by measuring the vertebral body's compressive strength. Meanwhile, the biological effect was assessed by analysing the callus formation in the vertebral body. Results: The optimal callus formation and compressive strength was observed in the group receiving PMMA:HA with a 1:2 ratio. Conclusion: A mixture of PMMA and HA increases the quality of callus formation and the material's compressive strength. The optimum ratio of PMMA:HA in the compound is 1:2.
Introduction: The anterolateral acromion approach of the shoulder is popular for minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) technique. However, there are literatures describing the specific risks of injury of the axillary nerve using this approach. Nevertheless, most of the studies were done with Caucasian cadavers. So, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk of iatrogenic axillary nerve injury from using the anterolateral shoulder approach and further investigate the location of the axillary nerve, associated with its location and arm length in the Asian population that have shorter arm length compared to the Caucasian population. Materials and Methods: Seventy-nine shoulders in fourty-two embalmed cadavers were evaluated. The bony landmarks were drawn, and a vertical straight incision was made 5cm from tip of the acromion (anterolateral approach), to the bone. The iatrogenic nerve injury status and the distance between the anterolateral edge of the acromion to the axillary nerve was measured and recorded. Results: In ten of the seventy-nine shoulders, the axillary nerve were iatrogenically injured. The average anterior distance was 6.4cm and the average arm length was 30.2cm. The anterior distance and arm length ratio was 0.2. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the recommended safe zone at 5cm from tip of acromion was not suitable with Asian population due to shorter arm length, compared to Caucasian population. The location of axillary nerve could be predicted by 20% of the total arm-length.