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Failure of an elbow endoprosthesis
Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica
|August 1, 1978
Summary
Gas gangrene in a severe elbow injury was managed without amputation. Subsequent bone grafting successfully fused the flail elbow joint after prosthesis failure.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic surgery
- Infectious disease management
Background:
- Management of severe elbow trauma with complications like gas gangrene presents significant challenges.
- Reconstruction of massive bony defects following trauma often requires complex surgical interventions.
Observation:
- A patient with a severely damaged elbow developed gas gangrene, successfully treated without limb amputation.
- Initial reconstruction attempts using a custom endoprosthesis for a flail elbow joint were unsuccessful.
Findings:
- The flail elbow joint, resulting from extensive bone loss, was ultimately managed through three separate bone grafting procedures.
- Successful arthrodesis (fusion) of the elbow joint was achieved after a four-year post-injury period.
Implications:
- This case highlights the potential for limb salvage in complex elbow trauma complicated by gas gangrene.
- Multiple bone grafting procedures can be a viable, albeit lengthy, solution for achieving elbow joint fusion in cases of massive bony defects.