Rotaionplasty: an ideal operation for treatment of malignant bone tumours of the femur in children and in patients with pathological fractures

ABSTRACT

Twelve patients who had malignant tumours of the femur were treated by a wide resection and rotationplasty and followed up for a minimum period of 12 months. The average age of the patients was 9 years with the youngest being 6 years and the eldest 15 years. Six patients had pathological fracture of the tumour. There were 6 cases of osteosarcoma, 4 Ewing sarcoma, 1 malignant fibrous histiocytoma and 1 metastatic neuroblastoma. The functional evaluation of these patients according to Enneking functional scoring system was 79%. There were no local recurrences, however, 2 patients developed lung metasteses. We concluded that rotationplasty is an ideal functional and cheap treatment modality for young children with malignant bone tumours of the femur. It is also an oncologically safe method for managing patients with pathological fractures of malignant femoral tumours