ABSTRACT
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is a reality in medicine. In Orthopedics and Traumatology, 3D printing guides a precise and tailored surgical treatment. Understanding and disseminating its applicability, use, and outcomes can foster academicism and improve patient care. This is a report of a rare case of a female young adult patient with osteonecrosis of the humeral head due to avascular necrosis developed in early childhood. The treatment was tailored and optimized with 3D printing, which helped determine the steps for partial humeral arthroplasty.
ABSTRACT
Ulnar-sided wrist pain (USWP) is a diagnostic challenge. Although most of the etiologies are associated with the triangular fibrocartilage complex, the distal radioulnar joint, ulnocarpal impingement, or extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendinopathy, other differential diagnoses should be suggested during propaedeutics. Carpal anatomical variations, specifically the hamatolunate joint, may be responsible for USWP. The purpose of this case report is to highlight the diagnostic approach to USWP and discuss an infrequent differential diagnosis and its surgical management. We present a 44-year-old male patient, a waiter, with USWP and work difficulties. After careful clinical investigation and radiologic studies (magnetic resonance imaging and dynamic fluoroscopy), it was observed the hamatolunate joint impingement. The patient underwent arthroscopy with inspection of the midcarpal joint through the midcarpal radial portal, revealing joint degradation of both articular surfaces. The proximal pole of the hamate was removed. The patient evolved well and returned to work two months later. Function and pain scores were satisfactory at the one-year follow-up.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Bone grafts are widely used in orthopedic surgeries. Although the conventional iliac crest graft is still the largest source of cancellous and cortical-cancellous bone grafts, it may require a new surgical field and additional anesthesia. In contrast, the use of the distal radius graft allows removal in the same field; however, it is often the recipient site; thus, only a limited amount is usually available. In the upper limb, one of the possibilities is the use of the cancellous and/or cortical-cancellous graft from the olecranon. This was a primary and experimental study that aimed to analyze the versatility of using olecranon bone grafts through anatomical assessment of cadavers. METHODS: Eight upper limbs were dissected from four fresh, unclaimed, young cadavers, with no history of the previous pathology at the removal site to demonstrate the method of graft removal and to measure the quantity obtained in two situations, namely, removal of the cancellous graft and removal of the cortical-cancellous grafts. RESULTS: The average volume of the cancellous bone graft from the olecranon was 3.9 cm3 (3.6 to 4.2 cm3). The cortical-cancellous bone graft had an average length of 4.4 cm (4.1 to 5.0), a width of 0.8 cm (0.7 to 1.0), and an average thickness of 0.4 cm (0.3 to 0.6). CONCLUSION: The technique for harvesting the olecranon graft is easy to perform, allowing a volume in average 3.9 cm3 of cancellous graft and 4.4 cm and 0.8 cm of cortical-cancellous bone, for various upper limb defects, which require this need.
