Abstract
Purpose
Limb salvage procedures for musculoskeletal tumors have inherent complications. Though most complications can be managed with retention of the reconstructions, occasionally salvaging these reconstructions is not possible. We evaluated the outcomes of patients undergoing rotationplasty after multiple failed revisions of limb salvage surgery and document the success rate of this “salvage” technique and the subsequent functional outcome of these patients.
Method
Between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2018, 14 patients (12 male and 2 female) with a median age of 24 years (11–51 years) underwent rotationplasty after multiple failed revisions of limb salvage surgery. Indication for rotationplasty was infection (10 patients), failed megaprosthesis (2 patients), unstable biological reconstruction (1 patient) and local recurrence (1 patient). The mean number of surgeries done before the patient underwent rotationplasty was 5 (range 2–7).
Results
One patient developed a vascular complication (venous congestion) immediately after rotationplasty and underwent an early amputation. The remaining 13 patients had no surgical complications. Mean Musculo Skeletal Tumor Society score in 13 evaluable patients was 26 (23–30).
Conclusion
Our study demonstrates the utility of rotationplasty as a “salvage” procedure after multiple failed lower limb salvage surgeries. It offers good success rates, low rates of complications and good functional outcomes in carefully selected cases.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Mavrogenis AF, Angelini A, Vottis C, Palmerini E, Rimondi E, Rossi G, Papagelopoulos PJ, Ruggieri P (2015) State-of-the-art approach for bone sarcomas. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 25(1):5–15
Aponte-Tinao LA, Albergo JI, Ayerza MA, Muscolo DL, Ing FM, Farfalli GL (2018) What are the complications of allograft reconstructions for sarcoma resection in children younger than 10 years at long-term followup? Clin Orthop Relat Res 476(3):548–555
Bus MP, Dijkstra PD, van de Sande MA, Taminiau AH, Schreuder HW, Jutte PC, van der Geest IC, Schaap GR, Bramer JA (2014) Intercalary allograft reconstructions following resection of primary bone tumors: a nationwide multicenter study. J Bone Joint Surg Am 96(4):e26
Grimer RJ, Aydin BK, Wafa H, Carter SR, Jeys L, Abudu A, Parry M (2016) Very long-term outcomes after endoprosthetic replacement for malignant tumours of bone. Bone Joint J 98-B(6):857–864.
Pala E, Trovarelli G, Calabro T, Angelini A, Abati CN, Ruggieri P (2015) Survival of modern knee tumor megaprostheses: failures, functional results, and a comparative statistical analysis. Clin Orthop Relat Res 473(3):891–899
Hillmann A, Gosheger G, Hoffmann C, Ozaki T, Winkelmann W (2000) Rotationplasty—surgical treatment modality after failed limb salvage procedure. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 120(10):555–558
Fuchs B, Kotajarvi BR, Kaufman KR, Sim FH (2003) Functional outcome of patients with rotationplasty about the knee. Clin Orthop Relat Res 415:52–58
Wicart P, Mascard E, Missenard G, Dubousset J (2002) Rotationplasty after failure of a knee prosthesis for a malignant tumour of the distal femur. J Bone Joint Surg Br 84(6):865–869
Enneking WF, Dunham W, Gebhardt MC, Malawar M, Pritchard DJ (1993) A system for the functional evaluation of reconstructive procedures after surgical treatment of tumors of the musculoskeletal system. Clin Orthop Relat Res 286:241–246
Ossendorf C, Exner GU, Fuchs B (2010) A new incision technique to reduce tibiofemoral mismatch in rotationplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res 468(5):1264–1268
Puri A, Agarwal M (2007) Facilitating rotationplasty. J Surg Oncol 95(4):351–354
Winkelmann WW (2000) Type-B-IIIa hip rotationplasty: an alternative operation for the treatment of malignant tumors of the femur in early childhood. J Bone Joint Surg Am 82(6):814–828
Robert RS, Ottaviani G, Huh WW, Palla S, Jaffe N (2010) Psychosocial and functional outcomes in long-term survivors of osteosarcoma: a comparison of limb-salvage surgery and amputation. Pediatr Blood Cancer 54(7):990–999
Lane JM, Christ GH, Khan SN, Backus SI (2001) Rehabilitation for limb salvage patients: kinesiological parameters and psychological assessment. Cancer 92(4 Suppl):1013–1019
Gradl G, Postl LK, Lenze U, Stolberg-Stolberg J, Pohlig F, Rechl H, Schmitt-Sody M, von Eisenhart-Rothe R, Kirchhoff C (2015) Long-term functional outcome and quality of life following rotationplasty for treatment of malignant tumors. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 16:262
Rodl RW, Pohlmann U, Gosheger G, Lindner NJ, Winkelmann W (2002) Rotationplasty—quality of life after 10 years in 22 patients. Acta Orthop Scand 73(1):85–88
Shin DS, Weber KL, Chao EY, An KN, Sim FH (1999) Reoperation for failed prosthetic replacement used for limb salvage. Clin Orthop Relat Res 358:53–63
Malawer MM, Chou LB (1995) Prosthetic survival and clinical results with use of large-segment replacements in the treatment of high-grade bone sarcomas. J Bone Joint Surg Am 77(8):1154–1165
Wirganowicz PZ, Eckardt JJ, Dorey FJ, Eilber FR, Kabo JM (1999) Etiology and results of tumor endoprosthesis revision surgery in 64 patients. Clin Orthop Relat Res 358:64–74
Nebelung W, Birger T, Ropke M, Neumann HW (2000) Rotationplasty as a salvage procedure in revision of tumor endoprosthesis of the distal femur - a report of two cases. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 120(9):541–543
Agarwal M, Puri A, Anchan C, Shah M, Jambhekar N (2007) Rotationplasty for bone tumors: is there still a role? Clin Orthop Relat Res 459:76–81
Sawamura C, Hornicek FJ, Gebhardt MC (2008) Complications and risk factors for failure of rotationplasty: review of 25 patients. Clin Orthop Relat Res 466(6):1302–1308
Benedetti MG, Okita Y, Recubini E, Mariani E, Leardini A, Manfrini M (2016) How much clinical and functional impairment do children treated with knee rotationplasty experience in adulthood? Clin Orthop Relat Res 474(4):995–1004
Funding
The authors received no external funding.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to this article.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gulia, A., Prajapati, A., Gupta, S. et al. Rotationplasty after failed limb salvage: an alternative to amputation. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 33, 1683–1689 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-022-03333-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-022-03333-9