Repetitive posterior iliac crest autograft harvest resulting in an unstable pelvic fracture and infected non-union: case report and review of the literature

Fractures of the pelvic ring have been well studied, and the biomechanical relationship between the anterior and posterior elements is an important concept to understand these complex injuries. The vast majority of these injuries are due to trauma. However, in rare circumstances, autogenous bone graft harvesting may lead to an unstable pelvic ring. In this case report, we describe a rare complication in a 70-year old female patient who developed an unstable pelvis and an infected non-union secondary to repeated posterior iliac graft harvest. The orthopaedic surgeon should be aware of this detrimental complication associated with extensive or repeated posterior iliac crest graft harvest

The interplay of osteogenesis and hematopoiesis: expression of a constitutively active PTH/PTHrP receptor in osteogenic cells perturbs the establishment of hematopoiesis in bone and of skeletal stem cells in the bone marrow

The ontogeny of bone marrow and its stromal compartment, which is generated from skeletal stem/progenitor cells, was investigated in vivo and ex vivo in mice expressing constitutively active parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone–related peptide receptor (PTH/PTHrP; caPPR) under the control of the 2.3-kb bone-specific mouse Col1A1 promoter/enhancer. The transgene promoted increased bone formation within prospective marrow space, but delayed the transition from bone to bone marrow during growth, the formation of marrow cavities, and the appearance of stromal cell types such as marrow adipocytes and cells supporting hematopoiesis. This phenotype resolved spontaneously over time, leading to the establishment of marrow containing a greatly reduced number of clonogenic stromal cells. Proliferative osteoprogenitors, but not multipotent skeletal stem cells (mesenchymal stem cells), capable of generating a complete heterotopic bone organ upon in vivo transplantation were assayable in the bone marrow of caPPR mice. Thus, PTH/PTHrP signaling is a major regulator of the ontogeny of the bone marrow and its stromal tissue, and of the skeletal stem cell compartment

Femoral artery thrombosis after internal fixation of a transverse acetabular fracture in a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta type I

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic disorder characterized by increased susceptibility to fractures and vascular injuries due to connective tissue fragility. In this case report, we present a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta type I who sustained a transverse fracture of the right acetabulum while transferring from bed to chair. The fracture was repaired through an ilioinguinal approach. During the surgery, an iatrogenic injury to the femoral artery and vein occurred. This intraoperative complication was salvaged by immediate vascular repair. We discuss the possible causes of iatrogenic vascular injuries in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta. Orthopaedic surgeons should be aware of this potentially devastating complication in this particular patient cohort

Direction of the oblique medial malleolar osteotomy for exposure of the talus

A medial malleolar osteotomy is often indicated for operative exposure of posteromedial osteochondral defects and fractures of the talus. To obtain a congruent joint surface after refixation, the oblique osteotomy should be directed perpendicularly to the articular surface of the tibia at the intersection between the tibial plafond and medial malleolus. The purpose of this study was to determine this perpendicular direction in relation to the longitudinal tibial axis for use during surgery. Using anteroposterior mortise radiographs and coronal computed tomography (CT) scans of 46 ankles (45 patients) with an osteochondral lesion of the talus, two observers independently measured the intersection angle between the tibial plafond and medial malleolus. The bisector of this angle indicated the osteotomy perpendicular to the tibial articular surface. This osteotomy was measured relative to the longitudinal tibial axis on radiographs. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to assess reliability. The mean osteotomy was 57.2 ± 3.2° relative to the tibial plafond on radiographs and 56.5 ± 2.8 on CT scans. This osteotomy corresponded to 30.4 ± 3.7° relative to the longitudinal tibial axis. The intraobserver (ICC, 0.90-0.93) and interobserver (ICC, 0.65-0.91) reliability of these measurements were good to excellent. A medial malleolar osteotomy directed at a mean 30° relative to the tibial axis enters the joint perpendicularly to the tibial cartilage, and will likely result in a congruent joint surface after reductio

The 'Ziran' wrap: reconstruction of critical-sized long bone defects using a fascial autograft and reamer-irrigator-aspirator autograft

Reconstruction of critical-size bony defects remains a challenge to surgeons despite recent technological advances. Current treatments include distraction osteogenesis, cancellous autograft, induced membranes (Masquelet procedure), polymeric membranes, and titanium-mesh cages filled with bone graft. In this article, the authors presents two cases in which critical-sized defects were reconstructed using a meshed fascial autograft encasing reamer-irrigator-aspirator (RIA) autograft and cancellous allograft. This article will discuss the clinical outcomes of the technique, comparison to other current techniques, and technical insight into the potential biological mechanism

Outcomes after surgical treatment of acetabular fractures: a review

Abstract Acetabular fractures are fractures that extend into the hip joint and pose a challenge for orthopaedic trauma surgeons. The first known descriptions of surgical fixation of acetabular fractures were case reports in 1943. In 1964, Robert Judet, Jean Judet, and Émile Letournel published a landmark article describing a classification system and surgical approaches to treat acetabular fractures. These teachings had a significant effect on clinical outcomes after surgical fixation of acetabular fractures. In 1980, Letournel demonstrated 80% good-to-excellent results in 492 hips, and in 2012, Joel Matta demonstrated 79% survivorship in 816 patients follow surgical acetabular fixation. Both Letournel and Matta have definitively shown that anatomic reduction of the fracture is the most influential factor predictive of clinical outcome. The intent of this review is to summarize the salient factors affecting clinical outcomes after surgical treatment of acetabular fractures