The management of heterotopic ossification is controversial. This is a rare case affecting both hips and knees of a 22-year-old woman that prevented her from walking. The management and the outcome, three years after excision of the ossific masses, as well as the measures to prevent recurrence after excision of the heterotopic ossification, are discussed.
Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the abnormal development of bone within soft tissue and a rare complication in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Only a few cases had been reported so far. We present the case of a 39-year-old man who had been diagnosed to have GBS about 10 years ago, presenting with severe limitation of both active and passive range of motion in bilateral shoulder, elbow and hip joints and was found to have massive heterotopic ossification. In our patient, it could be a myriad of factors such as prolonged ICU stay with mechanical ventilation and hypoxia, long-standing immobilization and hypomobility with incomplete flaccid paralysis.
Heterotopic ossification in soft tissue or muscle is rare in the pediatric and adolescent age group. Most cases are associated with musculoskeletal injury and trauma to the central nervous system. Here, we describe an adolescent patient without a history of trauma or lesions in the central nervous system who presented with a painful limp with limited motion of the left hip. Investigations indicated unusually large heterotopic ossification extending from the inner aspect of the ilium down to the anterior part of the hip, highly likely to have developed after an unrecognized periacetabular pyomyositis primarily involving the iliacus muscle. Surgical excision was performed successfully without perioperative complications. No recurrence was detected at the final follow-up.