Spontaneous and simultaneous rupture of both Achilles tendons in a haemodialysis patient.

This case involved a male patient in his 30s who sustained a spontaneous and simultaneous bilateral rupture of the Achilles tendons. His medical history was significant for end-stage renal failure for which he had been undergoing haemodialysis for 13 years, and parathyroidectomy 2 years before this presentation. The patient underwent an open repair of both Achilles tendons using gastrocnemius augmentation with a favourable final outcome. The radical control of secondary hyperparathyroidism in haemodialysis patients does not protect the patient from the occurrence of spontaneous tendon rupture in all cases.

Neuropathic arthropathy of the wrist revealing a syringomyelia.

Syringomyelia is uncommonly revealed by a neuropathic arthropathy (Charcot joint) and characterised by its slow progression with late neurological symptoms. In this particular field, neuropathic arthropathies mainly affect the shoulders and the elbows.We report a new case of neuropathic arthropathy of the wrist caused by syringomyelia, because of the rarity of this condition as well as its uncommon location.Neuropathic arthropathy caused by syringomyelia is poorly published in the literature. This atypical entity should be considered in case of Charcot arthropathy associated with neurological loss, especially when it affects the upper limbs.

Predictive factors of nebulized morphine failure in North-African patients with chest trauma: a prospective pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the predictive factors of nebulized morphine (nMOR) failure in patients with chest trauma. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was an interventional clinical study. Patients admitted with isolated chest trauma with a pain visual analog score > 4 were included. Each patient received 10 mg nMOR. If pain was still > 4 after 10 minutes of nebulization, the latter was repeated every 10 minutes until pain was relieved (i.e. ≤ 4). If pain was > 4 at 30 minutes, nMOR was considered a failure. Patients were divided into two groups: MOR (+) and MOR (-) (good response to and nMOR failure, respectively). RESULTS: Seventy-five patients were included. Analysis of the risk factors revealed that road traffic accidents (relative risk (RR): 0.117 [0.031-0.443]; p = 0.002), number of fractured ribs > 4 (RR: 0.317 [0.092-0.543]; p = 0.006), bilateral injury (RR: 0.114 [0.037-0.349]; p < 0.001), flail chest (RR: 0.120 [0.037-0.386]; p < 0.001), hemothorax (RR: 0.203 [0.062-0.660]; p = 0.008), pulmonary contusion (RR: 0.202 [0.069-0.589]; p = 0.003), and pain at admission > 7 (RR: 0.363 [0.147-0.579]; p = 0.004) were predictors of nMOR failure. CONCLUSION: Our results can help optimize the analgesic management of chest trauma patients by identifying the most eligible patients to benefit from nMOR. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier is NCT03580187.

Refeeding syndrome after radical cystoprostatectomy: A case report.

Described as a potentially lethal condition that occurs in undernourished patients, refeeding syndrome (RFD) is a severe electrolyte disturbance that includes low intracellular serum concentrations of phosphor, magnesium and potassium in patients undergoing inappropriate oral or parenteral renutrition. We report a case of RFD in a 50-year-old male patient that occurs 22 days after a radical cystoprostatectomy. The patient was anorexic after the surgery, the body mass index decreased to 12,36 kg/m2. The concentrations of albumin, magnesium, phosphor, and calcium were low. The Patient was admitted into the intensive care unit for severe cachexia and poor general condition 24 after introduction of parenteral nutrition (1500 Kcal/day). The evolution was lethal with multiple organ failure.

Loosening of a Total Hip Arthroplasty Associated with a Periprosthetic Femoral Fracture Caused by Recurrent Hydatidosis of the Hip: A Case Report.

CASE: A 35-year-old woman, who lived in an endemic area for echinococcosis, developed a periprosthetic fracture with loosening of a total hip arthroplasty that had been performed 9 years earlier for hydatidosis of the right proximal femur with a pathological femoral neck fracture. At that time, the patient did not have any signs of liver or lung involvement. She was successfully managed by a cemented revision hip arthroplasty without any signs of recurrence at the last follow-up of 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Total hip arthroplasty can offer effective management of proximal femur hydatidosis, despite the high rate of recurrence and mechanic failure.

Bilateral septic arthritis of the sternoclavicular joint complicating infective endocarditis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Septic arthritis is an infectious disease that commonly affects weight-bearing or proximal joints such as the knee and the hip. The sternoclavicular joint is an unusual site of this entity. It usually occurs in patients with diabetes mellitus, intravenous drug abusers, or those with rheumatoid arthritis. Analysis of the previous literature showed few articles and these described essentially cases of unilateral presentation. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a rare case of a bilateral septic arthritis of the sternoclavicular joint sustained by a 71-year-old Tunisian woman whose medical history was significant for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis 6 months ago. Imaging investigations revealed destruction of the medial extremities of her two clavicles and bilateral collections in the soft tissues around her sternoclavicular joints. She was treated successfully by needle aspiration drainage combined with a 12-week antibiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral septic arthritis of the sternoclavicular joint is an extremely rare entity, with a paucity of literature. Only early diagnosis, which is obtained from the culture of the joint fluid using needle aspiration, allows satisfactory functional outcome and a good prognosis. Osteoarticular infections should be considered in patients with recent infective endocarditis in cases of fever recurrence.

[Femoral varising osteotomy by external opening for the treatment of lateral femorotibial gonarthroses associated with idiopathic genu valgum: a retrospective a study of 10 cases]. / L'ostéotomie fémorale de varisation par ouverture externe pour les gonarthroses fémoro-tibiales latérales sur genuvalgum idiopathique: étude rétrospective de 10 cas.

Femoral varus osteotomy is a conservative treatment for external single-compartment gonarthrosis. This surgical procedure is little used and outcomes are little studied.This study aimed to assess the clinical and radiological results of femoral varising osteotomy in subjects with external femorotibial gonarthrosis associated with idiopathic genu valgum whose data were recorded over a period of 21 years (1992- 2013) in the Department of Orthopedics at Sahloul University Hospital, Sousse. The clinical evaluation of patients was performed using the IKS score (International Knee Society). Radiological assessment was based on pre-operative work-up and final follow-up assessment. We here report a case series of 9 patients (and 10 knees) whose average age was 45.2 years, with a sex ratio of 0.5. Mean follow-up was 99-months. Average knee score ranged from 48.4 points preoperatively to 73.5 points at the final follow-up assessment, with a statistically significant improvement (p<10-3). Medium functional score significantly improved, with a preoperative value of 49.5 points and a value of 72 points at the final follow-up assessment. Final correction helped to reduce valgus condition with an average of 3.7° and a preoperative value of 14°. This study, as well as the analysis of literature, indicates that femoral varising osteotomy is the treatment of choice for invalidating genu valgum of femoral origin, without any rheumatoid arthritis, overweight, internal femorotibial nor severe femoropatellar arthritis.

Open Periprosthetic Patellar Fracture after Total Knee Replacement.

INTRODUCTION: Periprosthetic patellar fracture after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a rare complication. Their management can be very challenging with unpredictable results. Literature analysis showed few articles about this complication, but no publication has described the management of open patella fracture around total knee arthroplasty. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a unique case of an open patellar fracture above a total knee arthroplasty, sustained by a 56-year-old female patient. CONCLUSION: Despite the poor outcome of operative management in patellar periprosthetic fracture, this approach should be considered for acute and post traumatic fractures in young patients with a good remaining bone stock.

Primary Total Hip Replacement for a Femoral Neck Fracture in a Below-Knee Amputee.

INTRODUCTION: Femoral neck fracture on amputated limb is an uncommon lesion and challenging to manage. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a displaced neck fracture of the left femur in a 57-year-old female. She underwent at the age of the three a below-knee amputation of the ipsilateral limb for post traumatic ischemia. The fracture was managed by a total hip arthroplasty (THA), as a primary procedure. In this article we describe our experience of this unusual entity. CONCLUSION: Total hip arthroplasty in patients with lower limb amputation is a challenging and uncommon intervention, especially when it's a primary procedure. It may provide satisfactory outcome, and allows early rehabilitation.

[Solitary bone plasmacytoma: about 3 cases and review of the literature]. / Le plasmocytome solitaire osseux: à propos de 3 cas et revue de la littérature.

Solitary plasmocytomas are rare, accounting for less than 5% of all plasmocytes proliferations. Its diagnosis is based on the presence of localized tumor of monoclonal plasma cells cytologically identical to those of multiple myeloma, in the absence of other signs of a disseminated form. This study aims to carry out a retrospective study of three cases of solitary bone plasmocytomas associated with a detailed review of the literature describing the diagnostic, therapeutic and evolving characteristics of this rare entity.