Pathological Fractures (Subscribe)  

Case presentation We report a 75-year-old man who presented with shock immediately after surgery for a femoral fracture from lung cancer metastasis. Anemia and severe hyponatremia were detected. Despite adequate fluid resuscitation, nonspecific symptoms including hypotension, tachycardia, hypoxia, fever and confusion occurred. Emergent CT revealed enlarged bilateral adrenal glands. Under the...

Due to improved oncological therapeutic procedures with longer survival times, the stabilization of osteolyses and pathological fractures is gaining importance. The proximal femur is often affected by metastases. As femoral stability can be compromised by such bone lesions, stabilization as a palliative measure is indicated to restore function and relieve...

Pathologic fractures create a serious morbidity in patients with metastatic bone disease. Orthopedic surgeons who treat patients with metastatic skeletal lesions should focus on proactive treatments designed to prevent pathologic fractures before they occur. Prevention of pathologic fractures result in better patient outcome, lower cost, and less difficult operative procedures....

The circumstance of fracture without any history of significant trauma is not uncommon. Whenever you get this history, a red flag should pop up in your visual cortex and a bell should go off in your auditory tracts.
Generally, the differential diagnosis here is fairly logical. The thing to remember is...

Purpose. To evaluate whether the operating time correlates with the survival and outcome in patients who underwent intramedullary nailing for metastatic femoral fractures.
Conclusion. Intramedullary nailing appears safe and effective for treatment of metastatic bone disease, and confers good functional results, pain relief, and mobility.
Intramedullary nailing for pathological femoral fractures H Sharma, S Bhagat,...

Radiology case 331-3316 Clinical presentation: 42 year old man with known carcinoma of the bronchus and recent onset of acute back pain.
Pathologic fracture of body of lumbar vertebra. The pedicles are intact. The back of the vertebra is missing. The observation is that pedicle and body should both be on...

Singapore Med J 2002 Vol 43(4) : 205-207
Management of Pathological Fracture Neck of the Femur Following Recent Osteomyelitis in a Child A S Devnani
ABSTRACT Fracture neck of the femur is rare in children and occurs following severe trauma(1-5). Several recommendations have been made for the treatment of displaced transcervical fracture type II (Delbet classification)(1,2,5-8). However there are no...

Radiology Case Study: July 2009: Pathologic Femur Fracture (Osteosarcoma)
Raymond Kleposki, MSN, CPNP
Patient: LT is a 16-year-old girl who sustained a trivial fall while playing soccer. She presented to the ED c/o severe left thigh pain and inability to bear weight. There was an obvious deformity and significant edema in the left thigh....

- fractures which occur from low energy injuries which occur through an area of bone weakness with a pre-existing abnormality;
- injured area demonstrates distorted architecture and distorted bone density;
- Diff Dx:
- Fibrous Dysplasia
- Fibrous Histiocytoma
...

Pathologic fractures result from an underlying abnormality of the bone, usually either a primary bone lesion such as a tumor, or metastatic disease. However, pathologic fractures may result from metabolic conditions as well. A fracture results when normal stress is placed onto abnormal bone.
Radiology site

Radiology case 416-3313 Male patient. Presented at the age of 20 years with low back pain. Became paraplegic at the age of 38 years and an ependymoma was excised. Developed a fracture of the humerus at the age of 57 years.
The image was taken through a plaster cast. It shows...

Case discussion presented by William Craig
50 y o female with breast cancer who had pathologic fracture of proximal femur. Originally fixed with PFN which has broken. Patient is a Jehovah's witness and will not take transfusions. Hgb is 8. She needs chemo for mets which are in her bladder/pelvis. How...

Book chapter in the Double Dynamic Martin Screw eds Dittel & Rapp

The hip is a common site for metastatic disease. In 2005, approximately 650,000 patients in the United States will be newly diagnosed with cancers that commonly metastasize to bone; these cancers include breast, lung, renal, thyroid, and prostate.1 Bone metastases eventually will develop in many of these patients. Moreover, patients...

Historically, pathologic humerus fractures have been treated non-operatively with casts, splints, or braces in conjunction with radiotherapy. However, the functional outcome for these patients was poor, as use of the arm was extremely limited. As a result, surgical techniques for fracture stabilization have been employed using endoprostheses, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and...