Introduction:
Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a rare congenital abnormality, in which parts of bone are replaced with fibrous stroma and woven bone, making it susceptible to pathological fractures. Osteomyelitis following intramedullary nailing of such fractures of the femur and periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) after hip arthroplasty is one of the most devastating complications and a true challenge for the orthopedic surgeon. To the best of our knowledge, this is the 1st time, such complications are reported in a patient with monostotic FD.
Case report:
We present a 30-year-old male patient with FD of the left femur, chronic osteomyelitis, recurrent periprosthetic hip joint infection after multiple revision arthroplasties, and two episodes of axillary vein thrombosis. Due to the severe structural changes and a large medial wall defect in the proximal femur with impairment of a large soft tissue zone, it was decided during operation not to put any other implants in the hip joint and perform only a resection hip arthroplasty procedure.
Conclusion:
Managing a recurrent PJI in a patient with poor bone quality, severe bone defects, soft tissue compromise, and thromboembolic events is challenging even for the most experienced orthopedic surgeon. Resection arthroplasty is a salvage treatment option that should be considered in such complex cases.