Clinical Outcomes in Musculoskeletal Involvement of Burkholderia Pseudomallei Infection.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal involvement in melioidosis is often seen in conjunction with a disseminated illness. Recent reports suggest that operative management of musculoskeletal melioidosis has favourable results. The purpose of this study was to review the patient profile and clinical outcomes of Burkholderia pseudomallei infection in the musculoskeletal system. METHODS: Hospital records of 163 patients who were diagnosed to have B. pseudomallei infection between January 2009 and December 2014 were reviewed. Patients underwent surgical and nonsurgical management depending upon the tissue of involvement. Epidata software was used to record the data. The SPSS ver. 17.0 was used for analysis. RESULTS: Eighteen out of 24 patients who had musculoskeletal melioidosis were available for follow-up. Septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and intramuscular abscess were the common diagnosis, with 6 patients in each group. Twelve patients required surgical intervention. All patients received a full course of parenteral ceftazidime followed by oral doxycycline and co-trimoxazole. Two out of 6 patients (33.3%) died among those who had nonsurgical management as compared to none in the group who had surgical management. This was significant at 10% level of significance (p = 0.098). The rest were followed up for a minimum of 1 year with no evidence of disease recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: This series describing musculoskeletal involvement in melioidosis is the largest such study from a recently recognized 'endemic' region. Of importance are the patterns of musculoskeletal involvement, pitfalls in diagnosis and adequate clinical response with timely diagnosis and appropriate surgical management.

Incidence and predictors of radial nerve palsy with the anterolateral brachialis splitting approach to the humeral shaft.

PURPOSE: Fractures of the humeral shaft are common and account for 3%-5% of all orthopedic injuries. This study aims to estimate the incidence of radial nerve palsy and its outcome when the anterior approach is employed and to analyze the predictive factors. METHODS: The study was performed in the department of orthopaedics unit of a tertiary care trauma referral center. Patients who underwent surgery for acute fractures and nonunions of humerus shaft through an anterior approach from January 2007 to December 2012 were included. We retrospectively analyzed medical records, including radiographs and discharge summaries, demographic data, surgical procedures prior to our index surgery, AO fracture type and level of fracture or nonunion, experience of the operating surgeon, time of the day when surgery was performed, and radial nerve palsy with its recovery condition. The level of humerus shaft fracture or nonunion was divided into upper third, middle third and lower third. Irrespective of prior surgeries done elsewhere, the first surgery done in our institute through an anterior approach was considered as the index surgery and subsequent surgical exposures were considered as secondary procedures. RESULTS: Of 85 patients included, 19 had preoperative radial nerve palsy. Eleven (16%) patients developed radial nerve palsy after our index procedure. Surgeons who have two or less than two years of surgical experience were 9.2 times more likely to induce radial nerve palsy (p=0.002). Patients who had surgery between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. were about 8 times more likely to have palsy (p=0.004). The rest risk factor is AO type A fractures, whose incidence of radial nerve palsy was 1.3 times as compared with type B fractures (p =0.338). For all the 11 patients, one was lost to follow-up and the others recovered within 6 months. CONCLUSION: Contrary to our expectations, secondary procedures and prior multiple surgeries with failed implants and poor soft tissue were not predictive factors of postoperative deficit. From our study, we also conclude that radial nerve recovery can be reasonably expected in all patients with a postoperative palsy following the anterolateral approach.

Functional outcome of knee arthrodesis with a monorail external fixator.

Several methods for obtaining knee arthrodesis have been described in the literature and world; over, the commonest cause for arthrodesis is a failed arthroplasty. Less commonly, as in this series, post-infective or traumatic causes may also require a knee fusion wherein arthroplasty may not be indicated. We present salient advantages along with the radiological and functional outcome of twenty four patients treated with a single monorail external fixator. All patients went on develop fusion at an average of 5.4 months with an average limb length discrepancy of 3 cm (1.5-6 cm). Improvements in functional outcome as assessed by the lower extremity functional score (LEFS), and the SF-36 was significant (p = 0.000). Knee arthrodesis with a single monorail external fixator is a reasonable single-staged salvage option in patients wherein arthroplasty may not be the ideal choice. The outcome, though far from ideal, is definitely positive and predictable.

Case of pseudoaneurysm mimicking a soft tissue sarcoma: a diagnostic pitfall.

Pseudoaneurysms represent a pulsating encapsulated hematoma in communication with the lumen of a ruptured vessel. We present a 33-year-old male with a pseudoaneurysm of the profunda femoris artery. At presentation and on further evaluation, he was diagnosed with a possible soft tissue sarcoma of the distal thigh. Catastrophic haemorrhage occurred at the time of a planned, elective open biopsy. This case report emphasises the importance of considering pseudoaneurysm as a crucial differential diagnosis in atypical swellings and scrutinising all suspected soft tissue tumours with a contrast study or a Doppler ultrasound.

A pelvic pseudotumor in a nonhemophilic patient: an unusual presentation.

Hemophilic pseudotumor is a rare complication of hemophilia, occurring in 1 to 2 percent of individuals with severe factor VIII or factor IX deficiency. A 35-year-old male presented with a swelling in the right lower abdomen for 3 months. There was no history of trauma. Examination revealed a swelling over the right iliac fossa. Right hip showed 30° flexion deformity. Blood investigations like complete blood count, APTT, PT, bleeding and clotting time, and fibrinogen were all normal. Plain radiograph and MRI showed a lytic lesion in the right iliac wing. Excision biopsy of the swelling showed organized hematoma with a fibrous capsule suggestive of a pseudotumor. Further haematological workup like factors VIII and IX was normal. At 2 years follow-up, there was no recurrence. We report this case of pseudotumour in patient without any bleeding disorder. Such case has not been reported in literature to the best of our knowledge.

An unusual presentation of primary lymphoma of the ilium.

Primary bone lymphoma involving the pelvic bone is a rare entity. It does not have distinct clinical features or radiological features that are diagnostic. Biopsy is the gold standard investigation. We present a case of primary pelvic lymphoma with initial histopathological features of chronic osteomyelitis. Upon further clinical follow-up, repeat biopsy of the lesion revealed features of B-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, thus emphasizing the need for a high index of suspicion and close clinical follow-up. This case is presented for the diagnostic dilemma and the unique feature of lymphomatous lesion mimicking chronic osteomyelitis in its early stages.

A paradoxical triad: scapulothoracic dissociation with clavicle and humeral shaft fractures.

Scapulothoracic dissociation involves varying degree of discontinuity of the upper extremity from its truncal attachment. An eighteen-year-old male presented to the accident and emergency department following a motor vehicle accident where he was hit by a four wheeler while riding a two wheeler. He had tenderness and deformity over the left clavicle and the left humerus. He was unable to perform active wrist and finger dorsiflexion. A CT subsequently revealed a grade 2 splenic laceration. The splenic laceration was treated conservatively. As his general condition improved, he was gradually weaned off the ventilator and his left upper limb neurology was reassessed. He had isolated radial nerve palsy with an otherwise intact brachial plexus. He underwent internal fixation of the clavicle and the humerus. At 4 months after injury the EMG/NCV report showed signs of renervation of the radial nerve, and the fracture progressed to an uneventful union. This prior unreported triad of scapulothoracic dissociation with ipsilateral clavicular and humeral fractures may represent a parody. An apparent increase in the severity of skeletal injury was associated with a paradoxical decrease in the severity of neurovascular injury. We report this case to create awareness among orthopedic surgeons and emergency physicians about the clinical presentation of such injuries.

Recurrent Echinococcal Infection of the Lumbar Spine: An 11 Year Follow-up.

Spinal hydatid cyst is a rare occurrence in non endemic countries. We present a case of recurrent lumbar hydatid disease in a 21-year-old male who following initial treatment had a good functional outcome and healing for 8 years, following which he came back with complaints of low back ache and neurological deficit. Patient underwent a second surgery with global debridement of L3-L5 vertebrae followed by medical management for two years. He had a good surgical outcome with recovery from the neurological deficit. Patient has returned to his routine activities and is being reviewed every year; there is no evidence of recurrence in the past 3 years. To the best of our knowledge recurrence after 8 years of initial treatment, followed by good clinical and radiological outcome for 3 years after surgery and treatment of the recurrence has not been reported in literature.

Traumatic floating clavicle: a case report and literature review.

Bipolar fracture dislocations of the clavicle are rare injuries, usually the result of high-energy direct trauma. Since the original description by Porral in 1831, only a handful of individual case reports and case series by Beckman and Sanders have been reported in the literature. Management of these injuries has remained controversial ranging from nonoperative to aggressive surgery. We report on the case of a young army cadet who had a fracture of the lateral end of the clavicle, with an anterior dislocation of the sternoclavicular joint. Despite being planned for surgery, at the patients request, it was decided to manage the lesion conservatively with graded physiotherapy. At one-year follow-up, he had full pain-free, functional range of movement of the shoulder. This young high demand patient had a good outcome with conservative management, despite going against the current trend towards surgical treatment. We present this case with a review of the literature, highlighting the various management options for this rare lesion.