Thermal necrosis after simultaneous tibial osteotomy and total knee arthroplasty using press-fit extension-stem

Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2011 Jan;19(1):112-4. doi: 10.1007/s00167-010-1187-0. Epub 2010 Jun 9.

Abstract

One-staged tibial corrective osteotomy and total knee arthroplasty is a challenging but effective treatment for arthritic knees with extra-articular deformity. Although osteocutaneous thermal necrosis is accepted as a complication of intramedullary reamed nailing following long bone fractures, only 15 cases have been reported in the English literature at present. This report illustrates a rare case of thermal necrosis in a patient undergoing tibial corrective osteotomy coincident with long-stemmed total knee arthroplasty. Excessive reaming with a machine reamer is hypothesized as the cause of this serious complication. In this report, we highlight this rare but serious complication after long-stemmed total knee arthroplasty.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / adverse effects*
  • Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / methods*
  • Fracture Fixation, Internal / adverse effects
  • Hot Temperature
  • Humans
  • Joint Deformities, Acquired / etiology
  • Joint Deformities, Acquired / surgery
  • Knee Prosthesis / adverse effects
  • Male
  • Necrosis
  • Osteoarthritis, Knee / surgery
  • Osteotomy / methods*
  • Prosthesis Design
  • Prosthesis-Related Infections / pathology
  • Prosthesis-Related Infections / surgery
  • Radionuclide Imaging
  • Tibia / diagnostic imaging
  • Tibia / pathology*
  • Tibia / surgery*
  • Tibial Fractures / surgery