Management of Patients With Post-Traumatic Wrist Flexor Contracture by Carpectomy and Wrist Fusion.

Post-traumatic wrist flexor contracture is most commonly seen in major trauma affecting the hand, wrist, and forearm. It produces debilitating complications affecting the quality of life, often requiring multiple staged surgeries, and prolonged rehabilitation with physiotherapy to yield functional improvement. Wrist flexion contracture correction is the first surgery performed to reduce the deformity and improve the functional status of the hand. Releasing the wrist flexion contracture due to stretch on the contracted structures could cause a vascular compromise of the hand and skin deficit, which needs flap cover. On the other hand, removing the carpal bones reduces the length of the extremity and makes the existing skin adequate, with the wrist in the neutral position. This procedure avoids the need for a flap and avoids the stretch of blood vessels in bringing the wrist to the neutral position. A retrospective study was performed on three patients who presented to our institution, i.e., Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India, and underwent carpectomy and wrist fusion for correction of post-traumatic wrist flexor contracture between December 2019 and July 2021, with follow-up extending to a maximum of 18 months. The three patients underwent prior surgeries at different hospitals following injury and later presented at our institution for further management and subsequently underwent surgeries and extensive rehabilitation to improve wrist and hand function. The patients underwent a staged procedure for correction of wrist contracture by soft tissue release and carpectomy, followed by wrist arthrodesis. Postoperatively, none of the patients had neurovascular complications or complications related to wound healing. Hence, carpectomy and wrist fusion are safe procedures to correct the wrist flexion contracture without complication and motivate the patient to undergo further surgeries to improve hand function.

Giant Cell Tumor of Tendon Sheath: A Rare Peri-carpo-metacarpal Location Masquerading as a Recurrent Ganglion Cyst-a Diagnostic Conundrum.

Introduction: Giant cell tumors of tendon sheath (GCTTS) are benign soft-tissue lesions commonly affecting the digits, which occasionally cause pressure atrophy of an adjoining bone; but perforating the cortex to expand into the medullary canal is quite uncommon. We report such a case of suspected recurrent ganglion cyst with eventually manifested as a GCTTS with an intra-osseous involvement of the capitate and hamate bone. Case Presentation: A 28-year-old lady had been diagnosed as a case of recurrent ganglion cyst of the dorsum of the left wrist - 6 years ago and 4 years ago - both of which were confirmed histopathologically and were surgically excised. The patient had now presented in July 2021 with similar complaints of pain and swelling over the same site, for 1 year. Our initial clinical diagnosis was a case of recurrent ganglion cyst. Patient also presented with occasional bouts of fever for the past 2 weeks, which made us suspect osteomyelitis as well. Routine blood parameters showed that an elevated ESR and CRP, blood, and urine cultures were negative and magnetic resonance imaging showed features suggestive of osteomyelitis-involvement of capitate and hamate bone. However, to our surprise, intraoperatively, there were no features suggestive of osteomyelitis and the lesion was excised in-toto and the gross specimen resembled a classic ganglion cyst, which was sent for histopathological examination. To our surprise yet again, it was reported as a case of Giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath, which in retrospect, clinically and radiologically correlated with an intra-osseous involvement of the capitate and hamate. The patient is on regular follow-up to pick up any further recurrences. Conclusion: "Once a ganglion, always a ganglion" should not be taken as the Gospel truth. Histopathological diagnosis continues to remain as the gold standard, especially in cases of soft-tissue swellings of the hand. Correlation and integration of clinical features, Imaging modalities and histopathological diagnosis are the cornerstone in the management of GCTTS.

Recurrent Giant Cell Tumor of Distal Radius with Pulmonary Metastasis: A Case Report.

Introduction: Giant cell tumor (GCT) is a rare, locally aggressive tumor of bone characterised by the presence of abundant giant cells. GCT has a tendency for recurrence, occurring in approximately a quarter of cases. GCT very rarely metastasize, with metastasis to lungs being reported in approximately 1% of GCTs. Case Presentation: A 48 year -year-old gentleman noticed a swelling around his left wrist. Radiograph showed a lytic lesion in the distal radius having typical soap bubble appearance. He underwent left distal radius curettage and bone cement placement. The histopathological examination of excised tissue confirmed the diagnosis of GCT. Patient then had recurrence of the tumor 6 months after the surgery. He underwent left distal radius resection, fibular grafting, and wrist arthrodesis. Resected tissue on histopathological examination showed features consistent with GCT. One year later, patient noticed multiple swellings in the region of his left wrist. On examination, there were multiple bony hard, non-tender swellings over the distal forearm. Radiographs revealed a lytic lesion in the fibular strut graft with breach of the cortex. Patient was diagnosed to have recurrence for GCT for the second time. Chest radiograph and Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the thorax revealed multiple canon ball lesions in bilateral lungs, suggesting a metastasis of GCT. The patient, however, did not have any respiratory complaints. We then performed an excision of the tumor, removal of plate and k-wire, and applied a wrist spanning external fixator. Histopathological examination confirmed a recurrence of GCT. The patient was not willing for metastasectomy. The patient was followed up for a period of 18 months. We found no clinical, radiological evidence of recurrence. The metastatic lesions in the lungs were not found to have increased in number or size, while the patient remained asymptomatic. Conclusion: Giant cell tumours are benign, however, they have a propensity for recurrence. Recurrent GCT are more likely to lead to pulmonary metastasis, and thus warrant pulmonary evaluation. Pulmonary metastasis has a favourable outcome with only half the cases having progression.

Recurrent solitary osteochondroma of the metacarpal: a case report.

Osteochondromas are the most common benign bone tumours and account for 20 to 50% of benign bone tumours and 10 to 15% of all bone tumours. They usually occur in long bones; 40% occur around the knee joint, but in the hand they are uncommon and usually affect the proximal phalanx. The metacarpal is rarely involved. We report a 32-year-old man with a recurrent solitary osteochondroma of the metacarpal.

Ewings sarcoma of the hand-a case report.

Ewings sarcoma of the hand is relatively rare. Ewings sarcoma can present with minimal pain and swelling of the affected digit. The Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein may be high. Radiologically, Ewings sarcoma can present with a plethora of features from permeative bone destruction to expansile lesions with or without periosteal reaction. Because of these features, this can be confused with Tuberculosis especially in a country like ours where Tuberculosis is endemic. This leads to starting of inappropriate treatment and delay in diagnosis. We report a case of an 18 year old boy who was initially diagnosed as Tuberculous dactylytis of the proximal phalanx of the little finger. He was started on anti-tuberculous treatment and did not respond to it. Subsequent investigation in our centre which also included an open biopsy, confirmed the diagnosis of Ewings sarcoma. He was treated with ray excision, and chemotherapy. This case is being presented for its rarity and also to emphasize the fact that an open biopsy in suspected cases would be appropriate to confirm the diagnosis. This would prevent delay in diagnosis of rare conditions like Ewings sarcoma.

Unusual complication following intramedullary nailing of tibia: a case report.

Intra-medullary nailing is a standard form of treatment for diaphyseal tibial fractures. Insertion of the nail requires threading of the nail over a smooth guide-wire. Inadvertent complications during this stage have been reported. We report a case of inadvertent penetration of the tibio-talar joint by the smooth guide wire caused by incarceration of a fracture fragment between the nail and the guide wire at the time of insertion. This was noted intra-operatively. The guide-wire and the nail were removed followed by insertion of a new nail and completion of the procedure. The patient did not have any symptoms attributable to this at the time of healing of her fracture.