Pseudotumor after metal fixation of a fracture surgery. A case report

The present report describes an unusual complication after surgical treatment of a femoral fracture. Metal particles, produced by mechanical damage to an intramedullary rod by the insertion of screws perpendicular to the rod, were found to have initiated a tumor-like change in the soft tissues 4 years after removal of the metal implants. Conventional X-ray, angiography and CT-scan showed adjacent to the healed fracture a large tumor mass, which was interpreted as a soft tissue sarcoma. However, histopathological assessment revealed extensive necrotic changes around scattered metal particles in the biceps femoris muscle, which may be assumed to have been induced either chemically or bacterially.