Pectoralis Major Tendon Tears During Airborne Operations: Are These Injuries Isolated?

INTRODUCTION: Pectoralis major tendon tears are an injury pattern often treated in military populations. Although the majority of pectoralis major tendon tears occur during eccentric loading as in bench press weightlifting, military service members may also experience this injury from a blunt injury and traction force produced by static line entanglement during airborne operations. Although these injuries rarely occur in isolation, associated injury patterns have not been investigated previously. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After obtaining institutional review board approval, medical records were reviewed for all patients who underwent surgical repair of a pectoralis major tendon tear sustained during static line parachuting at a single institution. Radiology imaging, operative notes, and outpatient medical records were examined to determine concomitant injury patterns for each patient identified over a 4-year study period. RESULTS: Twenty-five service members met the study inclusion criteria. All patients underwent presurgical magnetic resonance imaging. Of these 25 service members, 10 (40%) presented with a total of 13 concomitant injuries identified on physical exams or imaging studies. The most common associated injuries were injuries to the biceps brachii and a partial tear of the anterior deltoid. Biceps brachii injuries consisted of muscle contusion proximal long head tendon rupture, proximal short head tendon rupture, partial muscle laceration, and complete muscle transection. Additional concomitant injuries included transection of coracobrachialis, a partial tear of the inferior subscapularis tendon, antecubital fossa laceration, an avulsion fracture of the sublime tubercle, and an avulsion fracture of the coracoid process. CONCLUSIONS: Military static line airborne operations pose a unique risk of pectoralis major tendon tear. Unlike the more common bench press weightlifting tear mechanism, pectoralis major tendon tears associated with static line mechanism present with a concomitant injury in 40% of cases, with the most common associated injury occurring about the biceps brachii. Treating providers should have a high index of suspicion for concomitant injuries when treating pectoralis major tendon tears from this specific mechanism of injury.

Heterotopic ossification following traumatic and combat-related amputations. Prevalence, risk factors, and preliminary results of excision.

BACKGROUND: Although infrequently reported in amputees previously, heterotopic ossification has proven to be a common and problematic clinical entity in our recent experience in the treatment of traumatic and combat-related amputations related to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The purpose of the present study was to report the prevalence of and risk factors for heterotopic ossification following trauma-related amputation as well as the preliminary results of operative excision. METHODS: We identified 330 patients with a total of 373 traumatic and combat-related amputations who had been managed at our centers between September 11, 2001 and November 30, 2005. We reviewed the medical records and radiographs of 187 patients with 213 amputations who had adequate radiographic follow-up. Additional analysis was performed for twenty-four patients with twenty-five limbs that required excision of symptomatic lesions. The mechanism and zone of injury, amputation level, timing of excision, use of prophylaxis against recurrence, and other confounding variables were examined. Outcomes were assessed by determining clinical and radiographic recurrence rates, perioperative complications, preoperative and follow-up pain medication requirements, and the ability to be fit with a functional prosthesis. RESULTS: Heterotopic ossification was present in 134 (63%) of 213 residual limbs, with twenty-five lesions requiring excision. A final amputation level within the zone of injury was a risk factor for both the development and the grade of heterotopic ossification (p < 0.05). A blast mechanism was predictive of occurrence (p < 0.05) but did not correlate with grade. All patients who had been managed with excision were tolerating the prosthetic limb at an average of twelve months of follow-up. Twenty-three limbs demonstrated no evidence of recurrence, and two limbs had development of clinically asymptomatic, radiographically minimal recurrences. Six patients experienced wound-related complications that required reoperation, and two patients required subsequent minor revision surgery. There was a significant decrease in the use of pain medication following surgery (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Heterotopic ossification following trauma-related amputation is more common than the literature would suggest, particularly following amputations that are performed within the initial zone of injury and those that are due to blast injuries. Many patients are asymptomatic or can be successfully managed with modification of the prosthesis. For patients with refractory symptoms, surgical excision is associated with low recurrence rates and decreased medication requirements, with acceptable complication rates.

Heterotopic ossification in the residual limbs of traumatic and combat-related amputees.

Reports on the occurrence and treatment of heterotopic ossification in amputees are rare. Heterotopic ossification in the residual limbs of amputees may cause pain and skin breakdown and complicate or prevent optimal prosthetic fitting and utilization. Basic science research has shed light on the cellular and molecular basis for this disease process, but many questions remain unanswered. The recent experience of the military amputee centers with traumatic and combat-related amputations has demonstrated a surprisingly high prevalence of heterotopic ossification in residual limbs. Primary prophylactic regimens, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and local irradiation, which have proved to be effective in preventing and limiting heterotopic ossification in other patient populations, have not been studied in amputees and generally are not feasible in the setting of acute traumatic amputation. When nonsurgical measures such as activity and repeated prosthetic modifications fail to provide relief, surgical excision has provided good early clinical results, with low rates of recurrence and acceptable complication rates in military amputees.