Delayed treatment of neglected open knee dislocation; case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Traumatic open knee dislocation is a rare, severe injury characterized by severe ligamentous destruction and a high frequency of infection and neurovascular involvement. Delayed treatment of these injuries is complicated, necessitating the intervention of not only a skilled orthopedic surgeon but also a plastic surgeon. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of delayed open knee dislocation faced by a practicing surgeon in an underdeveloped country (Somalia) with a successful outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 60 years old diabetic man, presented to our emergency unit with an open wound of his left knee, due to a traffic accident three months ago. At the time, a bone healer reduced the dislocation and applied traditional medicine to cover the wound. We decided to treat the patient with vigorous debridement, gastrocnemius flap, and hybrid external fixation for arthrodesis. The patient was followed up for three months after the surgery with excellent clinical and radiological outcomes. CONCLUSION: Although treating delayed open knee dislocation injuries is challenging, using a gastrocnemius muscle flap to cover the knee joint and arthrodesis to stabilize the joint will not only prevent limb amputation but will also result in satisfactory results.

Isolated slipped-retroverted osteochondral fracture of second metatarsal head.

Although metatarsal fractures are common, isolated intraarticular metatarsal head fractures are rare, and retroversion of the fracture segment is even rarer. Herein, a retroverted fracture of the second metatarsal head, which happened with a direct trauma from jumping from a height, was discussed with treatment options and finally a simple surgical trick was advised. There are only a few cases of isolated osteochondral and retroverted fractures of the metatarsal head in literature. The following is a rare case report of such an injury in a 19-year-old male.

Lower limb salvage surgery using Ilizarov circular external frame for a landmine injury about the knee.

Limb salvage for severe trauma has been replaced amputation as the primary treatment in many trauma centers. However, the long-term outcomes after limb reconstruction or amputation have not been fully evaluated. In this report, we present the treatment results of limb salvage surgery using Ilizarov external circular frame in a male case who had a-22-cm bone loss on the left distal femur and left proximal tibia and large soft tissue defect around the knee due to stepping on a landmine with his knee. The decision to amputate a severely injured limb, being irreversible, is challenging and significantly affects the body image and the patient. Extremity salvage surgery should be considered initially when evaluating patients with high-energy injured limbs at high risk for amputation.

Living with a malignant musculoskeletal tumor: experiences of family caregivers.

PURPOSE: To describe the experiences of the family caregivers of patients with malignant musculoskeletal tumors. DESIGN AND METHODS: Descriptive qualitative approach using a semi-structured interview guide. SETTING: Orthopaedics Department of the Gulhane Military Medical Academy in Ankara, Turkey. A total of 11 family caregivers aged 25-62 years were recruited. RESULTS: The analysis revealed 5 themes: religious attributions in terms of the cause and treatment of the tumor, the effect of malignant tumor on daily life, the tendency to think positively and constructively and find meaning through caregiving, the anxiety about the prognosis of the malignant tumor, and the support received from significant others. CONCLUSION: It is important to develop effective nursing care to family caregivers of patients with malignant musculoskeletal tumor to understand the physical, emotional, and spiritual experiences in their lives.

Melorheostosis in the upper extremity.

Melorheostosis is a rare mesodermal disease affecting the skeleton and adjacent soft tissues. Often it is incidentally detected on radiographs. In the standard radiology and orthopedics literature, melorheostosis is described as a "flowing hyperostosis, resembling dripping candle wax as an incidental radiographic finding." A 22-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of right-hand pain. Radiologic evaluation of the hand showed massive sclerotic changes in the first and second metacarpal and phalangeal bones on the right side. Further radiographic evaluation of the right upper extremity revealed the same sclerotic changes in the right scapula, humerus, radius, and scaphoid. Computed tomography (CT) scans showed a high attenuation undulating cortical hyperostosis with a "dripping candle wax appearance" involving the radial and/or dorsal aspects of humerus, radius, scaphoid, and first and second ray bones of the hand. Radionuclide triphasic bone scintigraphy showed diffuse homogenous radiotracer uptake within the entire right upper extremity involving the scapula, humerus, radius, scaphoid, and first and second metacarpals and phalangeal bones of the hand. The patient was followed conservatively, and 1-year follow-up revealed no change in the clinical, laboratory, or radiological findings. The diagnosis of melorheostosis was made on the basis of the characteristic distribution, location, and combined radiographic, CT, and radionuclide imaging features of the abnormalities. Conservative treatment was recommended for the patient. After 26 months of follow-up, despite the persistence of the radiologic findings, the patient is currently well, with no painful symptoms unless he performs forceful exercise.

Modified chevron osteotomy fixed with stofella pin for hallux valgus.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to present the mid-term results of hallux valgus patients who underwent a modified chevron osteotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six patients (73 feet) with mild to moderate hallux valgus underwent a modified chevron osteotomy and Stoffella pin fixation between January 1999 and December 2004. Patients were evaluated clinically by the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score. Pre- and postoperative radiographs were evaluated for the hallux valgus and intermetatarsal angles and sesamoid position. RESULTS: An improvement of 44.8 points in the AOFAS score was found. A change of 17.4 degrees in the hallux valgus angle and by 5.3 degrees in the intermetatarsal angle was achieved (p < 0.05). The change in the sesamoid position was significantly improved. Superficial skin infection in 3 cases, transient hypoesthesia in 2 cases, and bursitis due to screw irritation in 4 cases were the complications. CONCLUSION: Stable and rigid fixation by modified chevron osteotomy using Stoffella pins allows early mobilization and weightbearing without a cast. We believe early mobilization of the joint provides better functional outcomes with fewer complications compared to other fixation techniques.

Bilateral femoral insuffiency fractures treated with inflatable intramedullary nails: a case report.

Stress fractures could be classified as fatigue fractures and insufficiency fractures (IF). Fatigue fractures occur when abnormal mechanical stress is applied to a normal bone, on the other hand insufficiency fractures occur when normal to moderate pressure is applied to a bone that has decreased resistance (Daffner and Pavlov in Am J Radiol 159:242-245, 1992). IF have been observed mainly in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis, and are becoming more common with the increase of elderly population (Daffner and Pavlov in Am J Radiol 159:242-245, 1992). Other systemic and metabolic conditions that can result in osteopenia and IF include osteomalacia, hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, fluoride treatment, diabetes mellitus, fibrous dysplasia, Paget's disease, irradiation and mechanical factors (Daffner and Pavlov in Am J Radiol 159:242-245, 1992; Soubrier et al. in Joint Bone Spine 70:209-218, 2003; Epps et al. in Am J Orthop 33:457-460, 2004; Austin and Chrissos in Orthopedics 28:795-797, 2005). In this case report, the authors present an osteoporotic woman who developed bilateral insufficiency fracture of the femoral shaft after longstanding steroid, thyroxine replacement and alendronate therapy due to partial empty sella syndrome and osteoporosis, resulting in the treatment of the fracture by inflatable intramedullary nailing.

A case of tuberculous pyomyositis that caused a recurrent soft tissue lesion localized at the forearm.

We present the case of a 20-year-old male who had a non-traumatic soft tissue lesion (4 x 3 cm) with recurrent discharge at his right posteromedial antebrachial muscles; the patient underwent surgery twice, and antibiotic therapy was administered, but no cure was achieved with these treatments. The patient underwent surgery at our medical center. There was no history of pulmonary, gastrointestinal, or genitourinary tuberculosis (TB). Due to suspected pulmonary, genitourinary, and gastrointestinal TB, radiography and computed tomography scans were performed, and these studies disclosed no evidence of a primary origin. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the results of purified protein derivate testing were normal. We also detected submandibular lymphadenopathy (LAP) (2 x 3 cm) localized at a submandibular site in our patient 4 months after his first visit to our clinic. Smears were stained with Ehrlich Ziehl Neelsen (EZN) stain and culture were grown for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC); the samples used for these assays had been obtained by incisional biopsy of the forearm lesion and by aspiration of the submandibular lymph node, and they were found to be MTC-positive. Then, a culture for MTC, derived from an induced sputum sample, was found to be positive, despite the negative results obtained with a sputum smear subjected to EZN staining. According to these results, the primary focus of the tuberculous pyomyositis and the submandibular LAP was the lungs. The lesion and submandibular LAP were both treated successfully by the administration of antituberculous chemotherapy.