Bilateral fracture of the tibial shaft with intact fibulae

We report the case history, treatment, and follow-up of a 16-year-old girl who sustained symmetrical fractures of the right and left tibia without fractures of the fibulae. Although a fracture of the tibia with an intact fibula is not an uncommon fracture pattern, a bilateral fracture of this type is quite rare, and we have been unable to find such a reported case in our review of the literature. The management of a fracture of the tibia with an intact fibula is controversial, with potential complications of delayed union and varus malunion. For this reason, as well as the bilateral nature of the injury, we felt operative treatment to be indicated

Major lower limb amputations in the elderly observed over ten years: the role of diabetes and peripheral arterial disease

BACKGROUND: Major amputation is a dreaded event with high mortality and morbidity. However, few studies have investigated the epidemiology of amputation in the elderly over time, in the face of evolving management and prevention efforts.METHODS: We undertook a retrospective study to determine the incidence rate, etiology and prognosis of major lower limb amputations (transtibial or higher) in elderly patients (> 65 years). Cases were identified over a 10-year period in the Geneva (Switzerland) area, where all amputations are performed in a single center and reliable demographic data are available.RESULTS: The rate of amputation varied from 1.8 to 11.4/10000 patients/year, increasing with age and male gender. Diabetes was present in 48% patients, and conferred a 10 times higher risk of amputation. Severe peripheral arterial disease (PAD) was present in > 94% patients. The prognosis remains poor, 47% patients had died after two years and only 53% patients could be equipped with a prosthetic limb. Over 10 years we found a progressive increase in age at amputation; this encouraging increase was mostly accounted for by diabetic patients (> 6 months per year).CONCLUSIONS: The rate of amputation observed among elderly patients was low. Neither the rate nor the prognosis improved over the decade studied. However, the age at amputation increased by > 6 months/year, particularly in diabetic amputees, suggesting that current management successfully delays amputation. Amputations were almost exclusively performed for severe PAD. Further reduction in the rate of amputation will require progress in the prevention and management of PAD