Multiple Distal Femoral Osteochondromas Encasing Popliteal Neurovascular Bundle.

Multiple hereditary exostosis syndrome is a rare diagnosis with approximately 1:50000 incidence prevailing in males. The exostoses or osteochondromas are benign but have the potential for malignant transformation in 1-5%. There is a strong genetic component, with exostosis (EXT) signaling pathways being an underlying cause. They can be symptomatic, with pain and functional deficit as the main complaints. We present a case of a 17-year-old male who presented with pain and anatomical deformity in his left lower femur. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple osteochondromas compressing the popliteal neurovascular bundle. Excision of the osteochondromas was performed to decompress the neurovascular bundle in a multidisciplinary approach. Histological examination demonstrated no evidence of malignancy. Currently, there is no consensus for patients diagnosed with multiple osteochondromas regarding further investigation and/or screening for malignant transformation.

Neonatal osteofibrous dysplasia: Synchronous tibial and fibular involvement is common.

Osteofibrous dysplasia is a rare non-malignant fibro-osseous bone tumour, first described and characterised under this name by Campanacci in 1976. It is most commonly encountered in the tibia of children and young adults, but less frequently seen in the neonate with only few prior reports in the literature. We report a case of neonatal congenital osteofibrous dysplasia, presenting with unilateral limb deformity at birth. Radiographs demonstrated well-defined mixed lytic-sclerotic lesions, in a previously unreported distribution in this age-group, confined to the distal metadiaphysis of the affected tibia and fibula. Open surgery was performed for deformity correction, with tissue biopsy confirming the radiographically-suspected diagnosis. We present the up-to-date clinical, radiological and pathological findings in this case of a rare pathology with some novel features, within this age group, in disease distribution and consequent radiographic appearances. OFD should be considered in the differential of similar congenital deforming bone lesions of the lower limb. We also review the small number of previously published cases of congenital OFD in the neonate, noting in particular that the frequency of ipsilateral fibular involvement appears to be higher than that observed in older patients.

Multicentre study of physical abuse and limb fractures in young children in the East Anglia Region, UK.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if the detection of physical abuse in young children with fractures is of uniform high standard in the East Anglia Region of the UK, and whether we can identify areas for improvement in our detection of high-risk groups. DESIGN: Multicentre retrospective 4-year study. SETTING: 7 hospitals across the East Anglia Region of Britain (East Anglia Paediatric Physical Abuse and Fractures study). PARTICIPANTS: Age groups and fractures indicated as being at higher risk for physical abuse (all children under 12 months of age, and fractures of humerus and femur in children under 36 months of age). OUTCOME MEASURES: Our criterion for physical abuse was the decision of a multiagency child protection case conference (CPCC). RESULTS: Probability of CPCC decision of physical abuse was highest in infants, ranging from 50% of fractures sustained in the first month of life (excluding obstetric injuries) to 10% at 12 months of age. Only 46%-86% of infants (under 12 months) with a fracture were assessed by a paediatrician for physical abuse after their fracture. Significant variation in the use of skeletal surveys and in CPCC decision of physical abuse was noted in children attending different hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: It is a concern that significant variation between hospitals was found in the investigation and detection of physical abuse as confirmed by CPCC decisions. To minimise failure to detect true cases of physical abuse, we recommend that all high-risk children should be assessed by a paediatrician prior to discharge from the emergency department. Our proposed criteria for assessment (where we found probability of CPCC decision of physical abuse was at least 10%) are any child under the age of 12 months with any fracture, under 18 months of age with femur fracture and under 24 months with humeral shaft fracture (not supracondylar).

Paediatric fracture clinic re-design: Incorporating a virtual fracture clinic.

INTRODUCTION: The use of virtual fracture clinics (VFCs) and home management protocols is increasing. The main aim of this research is to determine whether a paediatric home management programme and VFC can be used safely to manage a range of suitable fractures in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Protocols for the home management of stable paediatric fractures were designed by two consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeons. These were for children between the ages of 18 months and 15 years 364 days. A new tariff was negotiated with the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for a VFC new patient review. A prospective analysis was performed for the first 2 months of the programme. Further review periods were undertaken 6 months later and 12 months after that. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients were reviewed in the first 10 VFCs (mean 6.5 cases per week). After 6 months, 164 patients were reviewed in a 3-month period in the VFC, a mean of 11 cases per week. A year later the number of patients reviewed in the VFC had continued to increase with a total of 253 patients in 3 months, mean 21 cases per week. This gave a saving to the CCG of £45,000 per year and to the hospital of £106,000 per year. There were no serious adverse consequences to any patients from the use of the pathway. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: We have reported on the introduction of a paediatric VFC and a home management programme for stable paediatric fractures. We are not aware of any reports in the orthopaedic literature that have described such a comprehensive and innovative re-organisation of paediatric fracture services. We estimate that the NHS could save approximately £10.1 million if all hospitals in England introduced this.

Brodie abscess of the femoral capital epiphysis in a 2-year-old child caused by Kingella kingae.

We report the case of a Brodie abscess of the femoral capital epiphysis from which Kingella kingae was isolated. This is to the best of our knowledge the first report of a Brodie abscess of the femoral capital epiphysis from which K. kingae was isolated.

Tuberculosis presenting as a 'swollen calf'.

We report the case of an 83-year-old man who presented with swelling of his left lower leg. Subsequent investigations revealed that the swelling was due to a Mycobacterium tuberculosis abscess in the tibialis anterior muscle.

Unusual cause of pleuritic chest pain in a child.

We present the case of a 5-year-old boy with hereditary multiple exostoses who presented with left-sided pleuritic chest pain. A CT scan of the chest revealed an intrathoracic exostosis in close association with the heart.

Successful stabilisation of a type III paediatric tibial eminence fracture using a tensioned wire technique.

We report the case of an 11-year-old boy presenting with a type III tibial eminence fracture. The fracture fragment was reduced arthroscopically. Two 1.6 mm retrograde K-wires were inserted from the tibial metaphysis across the physis and into the fracture fragment using a standard anterior cruciate ligament tibial tunnel guide. Once the wires were clearly visible within the joint the tips were bent over by ∼120°. The wires were then tensioned around a single small fragment screw inserted into the tibial metaphysis. An exceptionally strong fixation was achieved. The boy was mobilised without a brace. The wires were removed at 12 weeks and he returned to full activity at 14 weeks.

Paediatric medial epicondyle fracture without elbow dislocation associated with intra-articular ulnar nerve entrapment.

Elbow fractures are not uncommon in children, and some are associated with neurovascular injuries. Having a nerve injury in an elbow fracture without dislocation is rare and was not described in the literature. Here, we have reported probably the first case of an ulnar nerve injury in an elbow fracture without dislocation. A 9-year-old female presented to the emergency department after falling off a monkey bar. She had a painful, swollen and tender right elbow with no history or clinical signs of an elbow dislocation but had complete ulnar nerve palsy. She was managed initially with analgesia and plaster application and was taken directly to the operating theatre. Examination under anaesthesia revealed no elbow joint instability. The ulnar nerve was found entrapped between the trochlea and proximal ulna, intra-articularly. The medial epicondyle was also found avulsed from the humerus, with an incarcerated medial epicondylar fragment in the elbow joint.

Perthes disease in a 2-year-old child.

Perthes disease represents a transient interruption of the blood supply to the femoral head followed by collapse and subsequent remodelling. The majority of cases present between the ages of 4 and 10 years. We report the case of a child who developed a painful right-sided limp some days after his second birthday. The limp was initially interpreted as a transient synovitis of the hip. However, when the limp persisted, further investigations revealed that he had Perthes disease.

Complete resolution of the symptoms of refractory Osgood-Schlatter disease following percutaneous fixation of the tibial tuberosity.

Osgood-Schlatter disease is a common cause of anterior knee pain in adolescents. In a good proportion of cases the pain is relieved through stopping sport alone, or by doing so in conjunction with undertaking physiotherapy. However, resolution of symptoms may take several years. A proportion of teenagers are prevented from participating in sport for a prolonged period as a result of the condition, and some have persisting knee pain into adulthood. We report the use of a new surgical treatment for this disease. We describe the case of a 12-year-old boy who was unable to play rugby for a year due to this pain. Following percutaneous fixation of the tibial tuberosity his symptoms entirely resolved and he returned to competitive sport 6 weeks after surgery. A year later the screw was removed. As soon as he resumed sport his symptoms immediately returned and he requested that the screw be replaced. Following replacement his symptoms once more resolved.

Sequential bilateral lesser trochanter avulsion fractures in an adolescent patient.

We report the rare case of a 15-year-old boy who sustained sequential bilateral lesser trochanter avulsion fractures over a 6-month period while playing football. No malignancy or associated metabolic bone disease was found. He subsequently made a full recovery with non-operative treatment.

Bone temperature during cementation with a heatsink: a bovine model pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Bone cement is an effective means of supporting implants, but reaches high temperatures while undergoing polymerisation. Bone has been shown to be sensitive to thermal injury with osteonecrosis reported after one minute at 47°C. Necrosis during cementing may lead to loosening of the prosthesis. Some surgeons fill the joint cavity with cool irrigation fluid to provide a heatsink during cementing, but this has not been supported by research. This paper assesses a simple technique to investigate the efficacy of this method. FINDINGS: We used a model acetabulum in a bovine humerus to allow measurement of bone temperatures in cementing. Models were prepared with a 50 mm diameter acetabulum and three temperature probe holes; two as close as possible to the acetabular margin at half the depth of the acetabulum and at the full depth of the acetabulum, and one 10 mm from the acetabular rim. Four warmed models were cemented with Palacos RG using a standard mixing system and a 10 mm polyethylene disc to represent an acetabular component. Two of the acetabular models were filled with room temperature water to provide a heatsink. An electronic probe measured temperature at 5 second intervals from the moment of cementing.In the models with no heatsink, peak temperature was 40.3°C. The mean temperature rise was 10.9°C. In the models with a heatsink, there was an average fall in the bone temperature during cementing of 4.4°C. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that using a heatsink while cementing prostheses may reduce the peak bone temperature. This study demonstrates a simple, repeatable technique which may be useful for larger trials.

A lipoma within the Achilles tendon sheath.

We report a case demonstrating a rare finding associated with a relatively common injury. Lipomata are rarely found within tendon sheaths; but in the case of our patient, at the time of operative repair for a ruptured Achilles tendon, we found a fatty growth within the tendon sheath. The diagnosis of a lipoma was confirmed by histology. Although uncommon, it remains important to be aware of the existence of neoplastic growths within tendon sheaths and to establish the exact nature of these growths by histological analysis.

Experience with the Fassier-Duval telescopic rod: first 24 consecutive cases with a minimum of 1-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The new Fassier-Duval Telescopic IM System (FD-rod) has the advantage of a single entry point over the traditional telescopic rods such as the Bailey-Dubow or Sheffield rods. Although encouraging early results were presented by the originators of the technique at international meetings, there is no formal publication in the literature as yet. METHODS: We performed a chart and x-ray review of the first 24 consecutive FD-rod insertions in 15 patients (age, 1.5 to 12.5 y) with a minimum of 1-year follow up (1 to 2.4 y) after implantation of femoral and/or tibial FD-rods. Diagnoses included with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) (15 cases, 9 patients), and other conditions such as congenital tibial pseudarthrosis (CPT) in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) (2 cases), and epidermal naevus syndrome (1 case). In patients with hypophosphataemic rickets (6 cases, 2 patients) the FD-rods were combined with an Ilizarov frame. RESULTS: We found the OI patient group associated with a 13% reoperation rate (2 of 15 cases) for proximal rod migration and a 40% complication rate (6 of 15 cases): rod migration and limited telescoping (5) and intraoperative joint intrusion (1). There were no infections. All the NF1 CPT (2) and epidermal naevus syndrome (1) cases required several reoperations for nonunion, loss of fixation, shortening (negative telescoping), migration, and/or joint intrusion-mainly due to the severe underlying pathology with insufficient longitudinal or torsional stability and diminished healing capacity. In hypophosphataemic rickets (combined with Ilizarov frame fixation) we found a 50% complication rate (3 of 6 cases) and a 17% reoperation rate (1 of 6): 2 FD-rods did not telescope and 1 case of peroneal neuropraxia required neurolysis. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience the technique of using FD rods is demanding and associated with some intraoperative and postoperative pitfalls. We are happy to continue its use in OI patients when there is longitudinal stability and sufficient bone healing. However, in circumstances of insufficient stability and bone healing potential, further stabilization that can be achieved with an Ilizarov frame may be beneficial.