Akshay Tiwari

Clinical relevance of palmaris longus agenesis: Common anatomical aberration

ABSTRACTPalmaris longus muscle, although of little functional use to the human upper limb, assumes great importance when used as a donor tendon for transfer or transplant. The variability in the prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis among various ethnic groups has been established, and the surgeon’s awareness of the prevalence in a population or ethnic group is desirable. The prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis has, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, not been reported in Indian patients. Five hundred Indian patients were examined for the presence or absence of palmaris longus tendon, using the conventional test for presence of palmaris longus. The prevalence and pattern of palmaris longus agenesis was analyzed statistically and any difference in prevalence or pattern of palmaris longus agenesis with regard to body side or sex was looked for. All statistical analysis was done using SPSS (version 12). ÷2 test was used to analyze the association of agenesis with limb laterality and sex. The prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis was found to be 17.2% (8% bilateral and 9.2% unilateral). The prevalence of agenesis was significantly more common on the left side. Male subjects had a greater likelihood of unilateral agenesis, while female subjects were more likely to have bilateral agenesis. That prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis is race dependent is reaffirmed in the present study. Although the prevalence of palmaris longus agenesis in Indian patients was found to be much higher than the reported average prevalence in an Asian population, this tendon can still be counted on by surgeons treating Indian patients for use as a donor tendon, which will be present in a vast majority of Indian patients.

Primary tumours and tumorous lesions of clavicle

Primary tumours and tumorous lesions of the clavicle are very rare, and little literature is available regarding their characteristics and outcome. We studied the clinical, radiological, and histopathological characteristics, and outcome of management of patients with primary tumours of the clavicle presenting to us from 1996–2005. Twelve cases of primary tumours of the clavicle presented during the above period. Seven patients were treated with partial or complete claviculectomy, and no reconstruction was done. These seven patients were evaluated for functional results with AMSTS scoring. Eight patients out of twelve had a primary malignant bone tumour, four of these being Ewing’s sarcoma. No particular predilection of location of the tumour within the clavicle was seen. Functional and oncological results of claviculectomy were good. The distribution of types of tumours in the clavicle is quite different from long-bone tumours. No reconstruction is required following partial or total claviculectomy.RésuméLes tumeurs primaires et les lésions tumorales de la clavicule sont très rares et peu de publications existent sur ce sujet. Nous avons étudié sur le plan clinique, radiologique et histopathologique l’évolution de patients présentant une telle tumeur sur une période s’étalant de 1996 à 2005. 12 cas de tumeurs primitives de la clavicule ont été recensés sur cette période. 7 patients ont été traités par une résection partielle ou complète de la clavicule sans reconstruction. 7 patients ont été évalués sur le plan fonctionnel par le score AMSTS. 8 patients sur 12 présentaient une tumeur maligne primitive des os et 4 d’entre elles étaient un sarcome d’Ewing. Nous n’avons pas mis en évidence de localisation particulière dans ces tumeurs au niveau de la clavicule. Les résultats fonctionnels et étiologiques de la claviculectomie restent satisfaisants. Les tumeurs sont différentes de celles des os longs, il n’est pas utile de reconstruire la clavicule après une résection partielle ou totale de celle-ci.

Surgical management for late presentation of supracondylar humeral fracture in children

Purpose. To report the results of surgical management for late-presenting displaced supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children. Methods. Between February 2002 and June 2003, 40 children (mean age, 7 years) with late presentation (range, 2–12 days) of displaced supracondylar humeral fractures were prospectively recruited. Gentle closed manipulation under image intensification was attempted in all patients, except one with a compound open fracture. Manipulation was successful in 25 patients and percutaneous skeletal stabilisation with Kirschner wires was performed. The remaining 15 patients were treated with open reduction and Kirschner wire fixation, using a mediolateral approach. Results. The mean delay in presentation was approximately 4 days. No patients presenting more than 7 days after injury had the fracture reduced by closed manipulation. The mean hospital stay was 41 hours. At the final follow-up (mean, 18 months), 88% of the patients had a satisfactory result, according to Flynns criteria. Conclusion. Operative treatment for late presentation of supracondylar humeral fractures in children is effective. It minimises the risk of complications and the need for continuous traction or corrective osteotomy.

Open reduction for late-presenting posterior dislocation of the elbow

Purpose. To evaluate results of open reduction for late-presenting (more than 3 weeks) posterior dislocation of the elbow in 10 patients. Method. Elbow stiffness was the main indication for surgery. The mean age of the patients was 34 (range, 13–65) years; the mean time since injury was 4 (range, 2–6) months. All patients had non-functional elbow movement for any activity of daily living. Three patients had associated fractures around the elbow joint. Results. At a mean follow-up of 19 (range, 11–28) months, 8 patients regained a functional range of movement for activities of daily living and maintained a median arc of flexion of 100 degrees and a supination-pronation arc of 140 degrees. According to the Mayo Elbow Performance Index, the results of 5 patients were excellent, 3 were good, and 2 were poor. Complications included pin site infection (n=2), ulnar neuritis (n=1), and delayed wound healing (n=1). Conclusion. In patients with late-presenting, unreduced elbow dislocation occurring up to 6 months earlier, open reduction is effective in restoring the joint to a painless, stable and functional state.

An unusual case of craniovertebral junction tuberculosis in an infant.

Study Design. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first reported case of craniovertebral junction tuberculosis with complete quadriplegia in an infant. Objective. To describe report of an unusual case and discuss the difficulties and peculiarities of diagnosis, management, and follow-up of craniovertebral tuberculosis in an infant. Summary of Background Data. Spinal tuberculosis is prevalent in areas where tuberculosis is endemic, and its incidence is on the rise in developed nations with the rising incidence of HIV/AIDS. Although common in children and young adults, spinal tuberculosis is rare in infants. Again, craniovertebral tuberculosis is one of the rarest forms of spinal tuberculosis. Methods. The infant presented to us at the age of 9 months with Grade IV quadriplegia. Among many of the clinical differential diagnoses, craniovertebral tuberculosis was suspected only on MRI and proved after fine needle aspiration cytology demonstrated granulomas. The patient was subjected to transoral debridement, immobilized with help of a pair of pillows by either side of the head and multidrug antitubercular treatment was started, which continued for duration of 12 months. Results. At the last follow-up of 1 year, the patient had recovered fully and caught up with the milestones suitable for her age. Conclusion. Craniovertebral tuberculosis is difficult to diagnose and treat in infants. A high index of suspicion is essential for a prompt diagnosis and treatment, which is all the more crucial in this age group.

Resection arthrodesis for giant cell tumors around the knee.

Background: Giant cell tumors (GCTs) of bone are aggressive benign tumors. Wide resection is reserved for a small subset of patients with biologically more aggressive, recurrent and extensive tumors. As the patients affected with GCT are young or middle-aged adults with a normal life expectancy, arthrodesis is an attractive option for reconstruction in these patients. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six patients of mean age 33.1 years with Campanacci Grade III giant cell tumors around the knee (20 distal femoral and 16 proximal tibial) were treated with wide resection and arthrodesis from January 1996 through January 2006. Arthrodesis was performed using plating with free fibular graft (n = 18), IM nail with free fibular graft (n = 8) and IM nail combined with ring fixator using bone transport (n = 10). Results: Fusion after the first surgery was achieved in 77.7%, 75% and 90% of the patients in the three groups respectively. Local recurrence was seen in two patients and repeat surgery for nonunion/ graft fracture had to be done in four patients and two patients in the plating and nailing groups respectively. Conclusion: Wide resection and arthrodesis in aggressive GCTs around the knee is a good treatment option. IM nail combined with a ring fixator seems to be a good method of arthrodesis with high fusion rates, least shortening and early rehabilitation.

Limb salvage surgery for osteosarcoma- Early results in Indian patients

Background: While limb salvage surgery has long been established as the standard of care for osteosarcoma, large studies from Indian centers are few. Given the diverse socio economic milieu of our patients, it becomes significant to determine the feasibility and outcome of management of osteosarcoma in our population. We analyzed the early outcome of limb salvage surgery with multimodality treatment of osteosarcoma of the extremity/girdle bones at a tertiary North Indian Cancer Centre. Materials and Methods: A total of 51 limb salvage surgeries performed during the months between November 2008 and November 2012 were studied. Neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy was given by the pediatric/adult medical oncology teams as applicable. The mean followup was 19.45 months (range 2-50 months). The oncological outcome was correlated with age, sex, size of tumor, stage at presentation, site, histological subtype, type of chemotherapy protocol followed and necrosis seen on postoperative examination of resected specimen. The functional outcome of the patients was evaluated using the musculoskeletal tumor society (MSTS) scoring system. Results: Out of a total of 37 males and 14 females with an average age of 18.8 years, the 3 year overall survival was 66% and 3 year event free survival was 61.8%. In this group of patients with a short followup, a better oncological outcome was associated with good postoperative tumor necrosis, nonchondroblastic histology and age <14 years. The average MSTS score was highest in patients with proximal or distal femur prosthesis and the lowest in patients undergoing a knee arthrodesis. Conclusion: The present study shows oncological and functional outcomes of limb salvage combined with chemotherapy in Indian patients with osteosarcoma comparable to those in world literature. Larger studies on Indian population with longer followup are recommended.

Outcome of multimodality treatment of Ewing's sarcoma of the extremities.

Background: The management of Ewing’s sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT, Ewing’s sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor) has been established as a multimodality treatment. Advances in imaging and diagnostics, chemotherapy, surgical techniques, radiotherapy and prosthetic technology have resulted in drastic changes in the outcome of this disease, with most of the recent studies having 5-year survival rates of more than 60%. The Indian patients present at a more advanced stage and the compliance of treatment is suboptimal. While there is plenty of data in the world literature on the outcome of Ewing’s sarcoma, there is paucity of data in Indian patients. Therefore, we conducted the present study to analyze the outcome of multimodality treatment of ESFT of the extremities at a tertiary nonprofit institute over a decade. Materials and Methods: 34 patients who had histopathologically proven diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma of the extremities and had received treatment at our institute from 1997 through 2007 were included for analysis. The majority of patients had involvement of the femur (35%), followed by tibia (17%), fibula and foot (15% each), humerus (12%) and soft tissue of thigh (6%). Twenty-nine patients presented with localized disease (Enneking stage II B) while five patients presented with metastases (Enneking stage III). All patients received Vincristine, Actinomycin D, Cyclofosfamide + Ifosfamide and Etoposide (VAC+IE)-based chemotherapy and local treatment was offered to all but three patients having multicentric disease. The local treatment offered were, radiation (n= 15), surgery (n= 12) both surgery and radiation (n=4). All patients were analyzed for oncological outcome (event-free and overall survival, local and systemic relapses) by clinical and imaging evaluation and functional outcome by using the musculoskeletal tumor society (MSTS) score. These outcomes were correlated with age, sex, size of tumor, stage at presentation, modality of local treatment and site of relapse. Results: At the final follow-up (mean, 26 months; median, 17 months; range, 3–97 months), the overall and event-free survivals were 47 ± 12% and 34 ± 9%, respectively. Sixty-two percent of the patients presented with a tumor size more than 8 cm. On correlation with age, sex, size of tumor, stage at presentation, modality of local treatment and site of relapse, no correlation of survival was seen with any of the variables except event-free survival with size of the tumor. The functional outcome of all the patients was satisfactory (MSTS score >16 out of 30). No patient underwent amputation. Conclusion: Although the demographic profile, stage at presentation and the local and systemic treatment regimen followed in our study was similar to the world literature, the outcome of Ewing’s sarcoma in Indian patients were found to be inferior to that reported in the western literature. Larger multicentric studies with longer follow-up are required to exactly determine the key areas crucial in improving this outcome.

Vascularized fibula with and without extracorporeal radiotherapy for limb salvage surgery in Indian patients

Background Reconstruction of segmental bone defects following resection of bone sarcomas is a challenging procedure. Vascularised fibula grafts alone or in combination with extracorporeal radiotherapy and reimplantation of tumor bone have long been established as a method of reconstruction of such defects, with satisfying results. Prompted by paucity of data on Indian patients, we report our experience with vascularised fibula graft for patients undergoing limb salvage surgery for sarcomas of bone. Material and methods A total of 25 patients underwent the procedure from December 2008 to December 2014. Femur was the commonest site and osteosarcoma was the commonest diagnosis. Intercalary resection was done in 19 patients and arthrodesis in 6 patients. Vascularised fibula was used in combination with extra corporeally irradiated bone in eight patients, and alone in 17 patients. Results All but one limb could be salvaged, and all but three patients had united at final follow up. Combination of extracorporeal radiotherapy and reimplantation with vascularised fibula fared better than vascularised fibula alone in terms of time to union (9.6 months vs 12.2 months) and rate of graft related complications (14.2% vs 62.5%). Conclusion Reconstruction with VFG with or without ECRT has a good and predictable functional outcome. Though manageable with active intervention, complications were more commonly seen with vascularised fibula alone than a combination of the two techniques.

Ewing’s Sarcoma: Current Concepts in Chemotherapy and Surgical Control

Ewing sarcoma is a relatively rare tumor of childhood and constitutes 3% of all pediatric malignancies. It is pathologically a malignant round cell tumor, CD99 positive on immunohistochemical staining and characterized by a unique translocation, t(11;22). The most common presenting symptoms are persistent pain and swelling. Imaging of primary site and biopsy are essential for confirmation of diagnosis and staging work-up includes bone marrow biopsy, bone scan and CT scan of chest. A comprehensive multidisciplinary approach incorporating multiagent chemotherapy along with surgery and or radiation therapy is the standard of care. Outcome of patients with localized disease has improved considerably but remains dismal for those with metastatic and recurrent disease.