Removal of a broken intramedullary femoral nail with an unusual pattern of breakage: a case report

To the best of our knowledge, only 3 cases, including the present case, have been reported with a three part broken pattern. However, this is the first case associated with a distal locking screw broken. We report the case of a 31-year-old patient who sustained an open femoral shaft fracture . The fracture was stabilized with a Kuntcher femoral nail. After 7 months of the initial surgery he presented with a three part broken intramedullary nail and the distal locking screw broken. We used a combined technique for the removal of the nail through the nonunion fracture site; we used a pull out technique for the middle fragment and a curved thin hook for the distal fragment. Then we applied bone allograft and stabilized with a cannulated intramedullary femoral nail (Synthes, Oberdorf, Switzerland). After 2 years of follow up the nonunion was consolidated and the patient presented a good clinical outcome. This is of particular interest because it is a unique case and the association with a broken distal locking screw is reported for the first time in this study. A combination of methods through the nonunion site approach and an alternative instrumental is a good method for the removal of a hollow femoral intramedullary nail with this unusual pattern of breakage

Coxa vara with proximal femoral growth arrest as a possible consequence of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a case report

Coxa vara is an abnormality of the proximal femur with a decreased neck-shaft angle and resulting leg-length discrepancy, has been associated with conditions such as congenital coxa vara, traumatic injury, sepsis, rickets, vascular damage, or metabolic disorders; however its possible relationship with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has been recently reported

Does open reduction and pinning affect outcome in severely displaced supracondylar humeral fractures in children? A systematic review

Supracondylar fracture of the humerus is the second most common fracture in children (16.6%) and the most common elbow fracture. These fractures are classified using the modified Gartland classification. Type III and type IV are considered to be totally displaced. A totally displaced fracture is one of the most difficult fractures to manage and may lead to proceeding to open procedures to achieve acceptable reductions. Many surgeons are concerned about its outcome compared to closed procedures. We therefore performed a systematic review of the literature to investigate the existing evidence regarding functional and radiological outcomes as well as postsurgical complications of primary open compared to primary closed reduction

Controversial topics in the management of displaced supracondylar humerus fractures in children

The aim of our study was to review the literature looking for the up to date information regarding these controversial topics. An electronic literature search was performed using the Medline/PubMed database. A closed reduction attempt should always be done first. It is more important to engage both columns as well as divergence of the pins no matter whatever configuration is applied. Time to surgery seems to be not an important factor to increase the risk of complications as well as open reduction rate. Usually neurological injuries present a spontaneous recovery. If there is absent pulse, we should follow the algorithm associated with the perfusion of the hand

A polytrauma patient with an unusual posterior fracture-dislocation of the femoral head: a case report

We report a case of a 27-year-old man who was involved in a high-speed car accident. He sustained multiple organ damage including multiple brain petechiae suggesting diffuse axonal damage, aortic dissection, retroperitoneal haematoma and a fracture-dislocation of the right hip with a femoral head fracture and an ipsilateral intertrochanteric fracture. Due to the general condition of the patient, physiological stabilisation was prioritized, and at 2 weeks the fracture-dislocation of the hip was treated with a proximal femoral nail for the intertrochanteric fracture and Herbert screws for the femoral head fracture. Postoperatively, two episodes of recurrent hip dislocation occurred, and this was stabilized eventually with a Steinman pin inserted across the hip joint and taken out 1 month later. Weight-bearing was allowed according to clinical and radiographical assessments. Heterotopic ossification developed around the hip joint, but without evidence of AVN or osteoarthritis. At 18-months follow-up, the fractures had healed and the patient had a Harris Hip score of 79.1. Anatomical reduction and stable fixation of fracture-dislocations of the hip are important for achieving an acceptable result

Epidemiology and survival factors of appendicular myxofibrosarcoma: a SEER-retrospective study

Background: The low incidence of myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) makes high power studies difficult to perform. Demographic and prognostic factors for MFS and how they differ from all extremity soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to characterize a large cohort of patients with MFS and evaluate epidemiologic and survival factors when compared to all STS. Material and methods: We performed a retrospective review of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2000 to 2015 to identify 1,440 patients diagnosed with MFS and 12,324 with STS. Survival curves were creased using Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression analyses were performed to identify hazard ratios (HRs). Results: Overall survival was greater for STS than MFS (79% vs. 67%). Patients with MFS had a higher average age at diagnosis than STS (62 vs. 56), and older age was strongly associated with decreased survivorship for MFS (HR = 7.94). A greater proportion of patients under 30 diagnosed with MFS were female when compared to STS (49.6% vs. 45.4%). The incidence of MFS and STS increased over the 15-year period, with MFS increasing at a greater rate than STS (1.25% vs. 2.59%). Survival increased for patients diagnosed after 2008 for both STS (9.4%) and MFS (13.2%). Conclusions: There are differences between patient demographics and survival factors when comparing MFS to all STS. Monitoring changes in demographic and survival trends for rare STS subtypes like MFS is important to improve diagnostic algorithms and treatment options

The role of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of the forearm interosseous membrane. A review

The interosseous membrane of the forearm is an important structure to consider in cases of elbow and forearm trauma; it can be injured after elbow or forearm fractures, leading to longitudinal forearm instability. Diagnosis of interosseous membrane injuries is challenging, and failure in diagnosis may result in poor clinical outcomes and complications. Magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound have shown to be valuable methods for the evaluation of this important structure. Both techniques have advantages and limitations, and its use should be adapted to each specific clinical scenario. This article presents an up-to-date literature review regarding the use of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in the forearm interosseous membrane evaluation

Paediatric forearm and distal radius fractures: risk factors and re-displacement—role of casting indices

Forearm fractures represent one of the most common fractures in children aside from clavicle fractures, and the distal radius is the most common fracture site accounting for 20–30% of these fractures. Maintaining acceptable reduction is not always possible, and re-displacement or re-angulation is the most commonly reported complication. Factors leading to this complication can be broadly divided into three groups: fracture-, surgeon- and patient-related. The quality of casting has been historically measured subjectively. The description of several casting indices by different authors has been a major undertaking, attempting to address objective assessment of this factor. The following have been described: cast index, padding index, gap index, three point index and second metacarpal-radius angle. For distal radius fractures we think that the three point index is the most valuable measurement for predicting re-displacement among surgeon related factors; this index has not been used in forearm fractures in which the rest of the indices seem to be useful in predicting re-displacement. The casting indices should not be interpreted as a separate issue but in conjunction with fracture characteristics and patient factors

Simultaneous distal radial fractures and carpal bones injuries in children: a review article

Accurate diagnosis is crucial in effectively managing and treating both the radial and carpal fractures. Injuries to the carpal bones are not usually associated with fractures of the distal radius; however, the presence of a distal radius fracture does not preclude an associated carpal injury. The purpose of this review article is to compile cases of past reported distal radius fractures and simultaneous carpal injuries to restate its low prevalence within the pediatric population while still serving as a collective reference for management and treatment. After an electronic literature search was performed, we identified 18 published articles and 28 cases dealing with combined distal radial and carpal bones injuries in the pediatric population. As the mechanism of injury is similar for both fractures, despite the low incidence, orthopedic surgeons need to rule out carpal injury with a distal forearm fracture. Failure to treat both injuries appropriately may result in an unsatisfactory clinical result