[Fatal pelvic vein injury caused by guidewire used with the dynamic hip screw]

The tale of two vessels, vascular complications following a breach of the pelvic inner table due to acetabular screws: a report of two cases

Injuries to the pelvic vasculature during total hip arthroplasties are rare but have serious consequence. They demand urgent and early identification so that appropriate treatment can be instituted. If the bleeding is severe, cardiovascular compromise occurs intraoperatively and this will alert the surgeon of this possibility during acetabular screw placement. Alternatively, a delay in diagnosis can occur because the bleeding and the injured vessel are in the pelvic cavity and not visualized during the surgery. In this article, we report two cases from our center occurring within a six-month interval that sustained a vascular injury during acetabular drilling for screw placement for cementless cup fixation. Each case had a different vessel injury and different lessons can be learned from these rare injuries. The first case had an injury of the inferior gluteal artery following a breach of the sciatic notch. The vessel was treated with percutaneous embolization. The second case demonstrated a venous injury, following a medial protrusio technique for congenital hip dysplasia and a short anterosuperior screw, transecting the external iliac vein. This was subsequently repaired using an endovascular technique. We conclude the reasons for these vessel injuries after analyzing advanced imaging, discuss measures to avoid vessel injury and detail the minimally invasive method for their treatment.

Intra-abdominal and intra-pelvic complications following operations around the hip: causes and management-a review of the literature

Although successful and well-established procedures, hip operations whether elective or trauma are coupled with a variety of complications. Among the most uncommon complications are injuries to intra-abdominal or intra-pelvic organs which could prove potentially life-threatening. While there are various reports of such injuries in the literature, we aimed to perform a systematic review in order to examine the causes and relationships between intra-abdominal and intra-pelvic complications and the mechanism of injury, the pattern of presentation, identification, the course of management and outcomes. We identified 69 reports describing a total of 84 complications in intra-pelvic and intra-abdominal contents in 75 patients. These involved six major categories, including the intestinal tract, the urinary tract, the genital tract, the vascular system, the viscera and peripheral nerves. The most commonly injured system was the urinary (33.33%), followed by the vascular (29.76%) and the intestinal (22.62%). Among these systems, the most prevalent complications involved injury to the urinary bladder (32.14%), the large intestine (68.42%) and the external iliac artery (44%). The majority of recorded complications were postoperative with 71 incidents in 63 cases (84.52%). In intra-operative complications the most prevalent injury was due to hardware penetration (53.85%), while in postoperative it was due to hardware migration (92.06%). The management of injuries varied widely, with the most common approach being open exploration and direct repair (77.33%). The reported management outcomes included death (8%) and Girdlestone resection (2.67%), while the majority of the patients healed uneventfully (82.67%) owing mostly to immediate intervention. Despite being rare, such complications may still occur in a variety of settings and may subsequently lead to potential life-threatening situations. Thus, in order to avoid catastrophic outcomes we emphasize the need for prompt identification, immediate intervention and a multidisciplinary approach when necessary.

Obturator artery injury after hip fracture surgery

We present the case of a 55-year-old woman who sustained a left femoral neck fracture which was managed by insertion of a dynamic hip screw. Six hours after surgery, distension appeared in the left lower quadrant of her abdomen associated with a decline in haemoglobin concentration and clinical signs of ongoing bleeding. Computed tomography showed a left retroperitoneal mass without concomitant extravasation of contrast material. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a damaged left obturator artery with a large haematoma in its vicinity. After arterial ligation and retroperitoneal space decompression her postoperative course was uneventful. Reviewing intraoperative C arm images a 0.8 cm protrusion of the threaded guide wire was identified as the cause of obturator artery damage.

Proximal femoral fractures and vascular injuries in adults: Incidence, aetiology and outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Vascular injuries (VI) presenting during internal fixation (IF) of proximal femoral fractures (PFF) are potentially limb- and life-threatening. The purpose of this systematic review of the literature is to report on their incidence, associated complications and to give special emphasis in their prevention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive review of the literature was undertaken using the PRISMA guidelines with no language restriction. Case reports of VIPFF-IF and series of PFF-IF with cases of VI published between inception of journals to March 2015 were eligible for inclusion. Relevant information was divided in two parts. Part I included the analysis of cases of VIPFF-IF, with the objective of establishing the frequency of injury of each vessel, the types and mechanisms of injury, the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, and the outcomes. Part II analysed series of PFF-IF, which included case(s) of VI for assessing the incidence of VIPFF-IF.

RESULTS

Overall 160 articles with 182 cases of VIPFF-IF met the inclusion criteria. The injuries to extrapelvic vessels prevailed over those of intrapelvic vessels. There was a higher frequency of injury to the deep femoral artery and its branches in extrapelvic vessels and of external iliac artery and vein in intrapelvic vessels. The types of injury were: compression, intimal flap tear, disruption of the intimal layer with thrombosis, laceration with haemorrhage, and puncture or progressive erosion leading to a pseudoaneurysm (PSA) or arteriovenous fistula (AVF), with high prevalence for PSA, followed by lacerations. PSAs were more frequent in extrapelvic lesions and lacerations in the intrapelvic vessels. There were 7 non-iatrogenic injuries, produced by a displaced lesser trochanter fragment or other bone fragments, and 175 iatrogenic injuries (96.15%). The intrapelvic intraoperative protrusion of instruments or implants, or the post-operative migration of implants produced the injuries of intrapelvic vessels. For iatrogenic injuries of extrapelvic vessels the prevalent mechanism was a displaced lesser trochanter fragment, either intra- or postoperatively, followed by injuries by an overshot drill bit or a protruding screw; several other mechanisms completed the list. The clinical and radiological investigations were similar to those of VI elsewhere. VI occurred either at the time of fracture, during surgery or after it, early or late, weeks, months or even years after IF. The diagnostic and therapeutic modalities were most diverse, and the incidence of morbidity and mortality was 18.06%. The overall incidence of VIPFF-IF was 0.49%.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of VIPFF-IF is low, though it will probably rise because of the increasing frequency of PFF. With few exceptions, these injuries, which are potentially limb and life-threatening, are iatrogenic, resulting of errors in IF, with different types of lesions to intra- and extrapelvic vessels running in close proximity to the bone. Although the surgeon should bear in mind this possibility and achieve early diagnosis and prompt accurate treatment, there is no consensus as to what is the best diagnostic or therapeutic modality. A precise diagnosis of the preoperative vascular status of the limb, monitoring of the displacement of the lesser trochanter fragment, careful and gentle reduction of the fracture, and precise handling of instruments and implant selection and placement during IF, are factors to consider in order to prevent this complication, which should never be underestimated.

Broken Kirschner or guide-wire retrieval: a report of 4 cases

Migration of a broken wire into the hip joint or pelvis during surgery is rare, but it can cause significant complications. Retrieval can be extremely difficult and hazardous. We report 4 cases of broken Kirschner or guide wire removal around the hip joint. Two wires were inside the hip joint and two had protruded into the pelvis. The problems encountered and techniques used for retrieval are discussed.