Sacral ribs. A case report.

Supernumerary ribs are a rare anatomic curiosity usually discovered as an incidental finding on routine radiographs. The occurrence of sacrococcygeal ribs are extremely rare. Sacral ribs develop as a consequence of the failure of the rib anlage to fuse with the vertebral centers. The present case is unique from previous reports because of the associated scoliosis and hypoplasia of the ipsilateral gluteal musculature and foramina within the accessory rib.

The treatment of pigmented villonodular synovitis of the hip. A case report and literature review.

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVS) is a rare occurrence in the hip joint. A 33-year-old female with PVS of the right hip was successfully treated by synovectomy and total hip arthroplasty. The literature includes 64 cases of PVS involving the hip, with an average patient age of 34.8 years. Multiple methods of initial treatment were encountered including synovectomy alone, synovectomy and total hip arthroplasty, radiation therapy, and arthrodesis. Synovectomy is only effective when articular cartilage is preserved. Total hip arthroplasty, although of concern in such a young population, appears to be the procedure of choice for either advanced cases of PVS or those that have failed joint-sparing procedures.

The use of large allografts for tumor reconstruction and salvage of the failed total hip arthroplasty.

Large bone defects have become a more common orthopedic problem in recent year. This is due to the increased enthusiasm for limb salvage surgery as a technique to manage patients with primary bone tumors and for patients who have had multiple joint arthroplasties with subsequent bone loss. One technique that has proven successful for this difficult problem is the use of fresh frozen allografts to reconstruct these skeletal defects. From January 1981 until January 1987, 60 large fragment fresh frozen allografts were used for skeletal reconstruction. These grafts were divided into three basic groups: intercalary, 15; osteoarticular, 16; and allograft-prosthetic composite, 29. The diagnoses included 43 bone tumors, 16 failed total hip arthroplasties, and one traumatic bone loss. The average patient age was 39.7 years and had an average follow-up period of 24 months. The average length of allograft was 12.4 cm. Using the Enneking Functional Evaluation System, the final functional analysis revealed excellent or good results in 86% of the patients and fair or poor results in 14% of the patients. Roentgenological union at the allograft-host bone junction was achieved in 90% of the patients in a mean time of 5.8 months after surgery. An additional three patients obtained union after autogeneic bone grafting. At the time of follow-up evaluation, 92.3% of the patients were free of tumor; they had no local recurrences. The use of fresh frozen allografts represents an acceptable alternative for the reconstruction of large skeletal defects. One can expect good or excellent function for the majority of patients. The best functional results were obtained with the intercalary allografts and the allograft-prosthetic composites.