Vascularized fibula flap in the management of segmental bone loss following osteomyelitis in children at a Ugandan hospital.

Background: Hematogenous osteomyelitis is commonly observed in the pediatric population across sub-Saharan Africa. This retrospective case series was designed to evaluate the complications and outcomes of treatment using a vascularized fibula flap (VFF) to fill segmental bone defects secondary to osteomyelitis in children in a low-resource setting in CoRSU Rehabilitation Hospital, Uganda. Methods: Clinical notes and radiographs of children with a diagnosis of osteomyelitis that subsequently underwent a VFF procedure between October 2013 and December 2017 were reviewed. All patients were clinically and radiographically evaluated in 2019. Results: Forty-four children, with an average bone defect of 10.5 cm, were included. Eighty-four percent of children had successful VFF limb reconstruction. Integration of the graft was radiologically sound in 20.8 weeks on average. The postoperative phase was uneventful in 29 % of patients. Complications were observed in the remaining patients, including flap failure (6), donor leg neurapraxia (3), cutaneous paddle necrosis (11), graft fracture (2), skin graft loss (6), fixator failure (1) and non-union (2). Functional outcomes were rated as excellent in 13 patients, good in 14, fair in 9 and poor in 8. There was no recurrence of the bone infection in any of the enrolled children. Conclusion: Despite being a complex and demanding procedure, VFF is a good option for reconstructing post-osteomyelitis bone defects, particularly when associated with loss of soft tissue envelope. Considering the more than satisfactory functional and clinical outcomes, this procedure should be kept in mind for these complex pediatric cases of bone and soft tissue loss, even in a low-resource setting.

Challenges to achieving low palatal fistula rates following primary cleft palate repair: experience of an institution in Uganda.

OBJECTIVE: To determine frequency of palatal fistula following primary cleft palate repair and the associated factors as a measure of cleft palate repair outcome and its challenges at a cleft centre in Uganda. RESULTS: Between May and December 2016, 54 children with cleft palate were followed up at Comprehensive Rehabilitation services of Uganda (CoRSU) hospital, from time of primary cleft palate repair until at least 3 months postoperative to determine whether they developed palatal fistula or not. Frequency of palatal fistula was 35%. Factors associated with increased fistula formation were cleft width wider than 12 mm (p = 0.006), palatal index greater than 0.4 (p = 0.046), presence of malnutrition at initial outpatient assessment (p = 0.0057) and at time of surgery (p = 0.008), two-stage palate repair (p = 0.005) and postoperative infection (p = 0.003). Severe clefting (palatal index greater than 0.4) was seen in 74% of patients and malnutrition (Low weight for age) seen in 48% of patients. Palatal fistula rates at our institution were high compared to reports in literature. The high proportions of severe clefting and malnutrition observed in our population that was also poor and unable to afford feeding supplements increased likelihood of fistula formation and posed challenges to achieving low fistula rates in our setting.

Demographic and clinical profile of craniofacial clefts at comprehensive rehabilitation service in Uganda

Background: The true incidence of Craniofacial cleft (CFC) is unknown because of their scarcity and because of the difficulty in recognizing sometimes subtle physical findings in mild malformations. Craniofacial anomalies in the African population are reported infrequently. Aim: To contribute to the general literature on rare CFC in Uganda and Africa. Methods: we conducted a retrospective search of patient data over the period 2005 to May 2017 in the unit of plastic surgery of CoRSU (Comprehensive Rehabilitation Service in Uganda) hospital, a tertiary hospital in Uganda. Patient with a diagnosis of CFC were picked out. Sixty-six patient's files with clinical diagnosis of CFC including their clinical photographs were found. Frequency data was generated and a frequency distribution table with the observed data was constructed. Results: Sex distribution showed no significant difference between male and female (1:1,2);the age on admission ranged from 1 day to 83 years; according to the laterality of the cleft, unilateral CFC (left or right side) are more common than midline clefts (Tessier 0; 14; 0,14;30); however, according to the clinical type, Tessier cleft (TC) 0 is the most common TC in our series and is associated with holoprosencephaly. Fifty percent of CFC in our series are syndromic. TC 7 are common in male and have a bilateral predilection. Conclusion: CFC are a rare set of malformations for which there is a paucity of literature. There is a need to conduct a study with a larger series including CT-Scan in order to analyze more accurate clinical diagnosis

Recurrence of post burn contractures of the elbow and shoulder joints: experience from a Ugandan hospital.

BACKGROUND: Recurrence of post-burn contractures, following inadequate management of post-burn contractures (PBC), is under reported. It is associated with multiple operations and an increased cost to patients and their families. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of recurrence of PBC of the shoulder and the elbow joint three months after surgical intervention and the associated risk- factors. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study conducted at CoRSU hospital from March 2012 to November 2014. All patients with PBC of the elbow and/or shoulder joint who consented to be in the study and met the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Data was collected using a pretested, coded questionnaire. A goniometer was used to measure the active range of motion of the involved joint. The measurements were recorded in degrees. The data was analysed with STATA version 12.1. RESULTS: 58 patients were enrolled consecutively in the study. There were 36 females and 22 males, with a female to male ratio of 1.6:1. The age range was 0.75-45 years, with a median age of 5 years. The average age at the time of injury was 3.4 years. The most common cause of initial burn injury was scalding. The average number of joints involved per patient was two. There was a high incidence of recurrence of PBC (52 %) among the participants. The shoulder had the highest frequency of recurrence at 67 %. The elbow joint had a frequency of recurrence of 27 %. All participants with both elbow and shoulder joint involvement had PBC recur. The risk factors for recurrence were flame burn (p = 0.007), duration of PBC of more than 1 year (p = 0.018), and incomplete release of the contracture (p = 0.002). The presence of keloids, hypertrophic scars, ulcers and the occurrence of complications at the contracture site were not associated with recurrence of PBC. CONCLUSION: Recurrence of PBC of the elbow and shoulder joint is a common problem. The risk factors should be kept in mind during management of PBC to reduce the recurrence rate.