Extraarticular bony ankylosis in a child with supracondylar fracture of humerus.

Myositis ossificans is defined as formation of bone at the site of injured muscle. It is one of the rare complications of supracondylar fracture of humerus in children. Myositis mass usually develops on the anterior aspect in the brachialis muscle and produces restriction of range of motion, but complete ankylosis is rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to be reported in the literature as a consequence of myositis ossificans traumatica. In this case, a six-year-old child presented to the casualty department with pain in the right elbow after a fall on outstretched hand during play. After surgical excision through the anterior approach, the child had no symptoms referable to the elbow and a residual flexion deformity of 15 degrees with further painless flexion up to 100 degrees at last follow-up of one year after surgery.

Trabecular metal acetabular revision system (cup-cage construct) to address the massive acetabular defects in revision arthroplasty.

The increasing number of total hip replacements in the younger clique has added to the demand for revision procedures. Revision situations are often encountered with infection, loss of bone stock and bone defects. There are various methods of reconstruction of acetabular defects. The management options of type 3B Paprosky acetabular defects are limited with allograft and conventional cages. Trabecular metal technology has evolved to address these bone defects. Trabecular metal acetabular revision system (TMARS) cup-cage construct is a new technique to address massive acetabular defects. We describe a case of failed hip reconstruction done for a Giant cell tumour of proximal femur managed by a two stage procedure, initial debridement and second stage reconstruction of acetabulum with TMARS cup-cage construct and femur with allograft prosthesis composite.

The extremes in orthopaedics! Whom to blame?

Traditional medicines especially the herbal paste is routinely prescribed by the herb sellers. The unsupervised combinations and preparations are easily available in our part of world. The demand and supply of such irrational combination is only based on the principle that anything natural is safe. Drugs and preparations made by the people who lack the scientific knowledge of traditional herbal medicines adversely affect the consumer. We put forward few complications that resulted after herbal paste application in those who already had visited the specialist but opted the easily available unsupervised herbal preparations.

Brodie's abscess of medial distal femoral condyle after a thorn prick: rare clinical presentation.

Thorn prick injuries are generally conceded frivolous and rarely demand medical attention. Howbeit deep seated injuries are well described in the literature. We presented a case of thorn prick injury to the knee that manifested as Brodie's abscess of the medial distal femoral condyle and synovitis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography could only construe the affliction but not spot the thorn. Arthrotomy was undertaken for exploration and debridement. Empirical therapy with initial systemic Cefotaxime and subsequent Ofloxacin worked well after the surgery. Deep seated injuries by a thorn prick may take a protracted and torpid course. Thorough curettage of the bony lesion and debridement are vital for proper manage- ment.

Femoral head-neck offset in the Indian population: A CT based study.

BACKGROUND: Femoroacetabular impingement has been postulated as the important cause of primary osteoarthritis in non dysplastic hips. We postulated that the rarity of primary osteoarthritis of hip in Indian population could be attributable to morphological differences, specifically to a lower prevalence of abnormal head-neck morphology. We conducted an anthropometric study to evaluate the prevalence of abnormal head-neck offset in Indian population and to correlate it with the low prevalence of primary osteoarthrosis in the Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The computed tomography (CT) images of 85 apparently normal hips were analysed. An axial image was created parallel to the central axis of the femoral neck and passing through the center of the femoral head using coronal scout view. This image was then used to calculate alpha and beta angles and the head-neck offset ratio. The measurements were made by two independent observers on two different occasions. RESULTS: The prevalence of abnormal head-neck offset ratio was 11.7% and the mean alpha and beta angles were 45.6° and 40.6°, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients for intra-observer and inter-observer agreement were, respectively, 0.84 and 0.80 for alpha angle, 0.80 and 0.77 for beta angle and 0.78 and 0.75 for head-neck offset ratio. The values were similar to those reported in the western population. CONCLUSION: The differences in the prevalence of hip osteoarthritis in Indian and western populations are not attributable to variation in the prevalence of abnormal head-neck offset.

Birth-related femoral fracture in newborns: risk factors and management.

PURPOSE: Femoral shaft fracture following birth in newborns is a very rare injury. However, the risk factors for, mechanism of and management of these injuries remain a matter of debate. We describe our observations in a tertiary centre. METHODS: Ten cases of femoral shaft fracture encountered during a study period from January 2005 to December 2009 were evaluated. The demographic details, risk factors during birth, systemic illness, mode of delivery, type of fracture and management used were documented, and an analysis was performed. RESULTS: Mean gestational age was 37.2 weeks. Mean time to diagnose was 4 days. Two patients had subtrochanteric fracture, and eight patients had mid-shaft fracture. Most patients had breech presentation and had been born by Caesarean section. All patients showed complete union at the end of 4 weeks. No residual angulation or limb length discrepancy was noted after mean follow-up of 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Thorough clinical examination and proper orthopaedic consult in the event of doubtful presentation help in early diagnosis and management. These fractures have good prognosis at long-term follow-up.

Simultaneous bilateral femoral neck stress fractures in a young military cadet: a rare case report.

Simultaneous bilateral femoral neck stress fracture in healthy young adult is one of the very rare clinical entities that an orthopedic surgeon may encounter once in lifetime. Bilateral femoral neck stress fractures have been very well documented in elderly and osteomalacia patients; however, its simultaneous occurrence in a healthy adult is challenging to diagnose and manage. This article describes a 34-year-old man a military personnel who sustained bilateral stress femoral neck fractures, during a routine training activity. The patient was come to our institution, and a full endocrine evaluation was performed and proved unremarkable. He underwent closed reduction and internal fixation of the fractures using cannulated screws on both the sides. At 1-year follow-up, the fractures went on to complete union. Despite strict non-weight-bearing instructions for initial 3-month period, patient bore weight on the limbs resulting in varus union on the left side. Our case emphasizes the significance of obtaining a complete and thorough medical history on physical examination and appropriately counseling patients regarding activity level even after successful fixation.

Arthroplasty options in femoral-neck fracture: answers from the national registries.

PURPOSE: Femoral-neck fracture in the elderly population is a problem that demands the attention of the orthopaedic community as life expectancy continues to increase. There are several different treatment options in use, and this variety in and of itself indicates the absence of an ideal single treatment option. Recent debate has focussed on the probable superiority of total hip arthroplasty (THA) over hemiarthroplasty for femoral-neck fracture. Clinical trials and systematic reviews of such trials have not provided a convincing answer to this question. METHODS: We analysed data from national registries evaluating prosthetic replacements for femoral-neck fracture in the elderly. We compared revision and reoperation rates of hemiarthroplasty and THA, analysed the prognostic variables that influenced implant survival and the major causes of failure. RESULTS: Data from the Australian and Italian registries indicate that THA has an increased revision rate compared with bipolar hemiarthroplasty in femoral-neck fracture in the elderly. The registries identify that age over 75 years and the use of the anterior surgical approach are associated with better survivorship in patients who have a hemiarthroplasty. Cemented fixation of the femoral stem in hemiarthroplasty and THA is supported by registry data. Acetabular erosion accounted for a very low percentage of hemiarthroplasty revisions and reoperations. CONCLUSION: Our review of data from national registries supports the continued use of bipolar hemiarthroplasty in femoral-neck fracture in the elderly and identifies age, method of fixation and surgical approach as important prognostic variables in determining implant survival.