Effectiveness of circular hexapod external fixation with soft tissue reconstruction in treating severe knee dislocation due to burn scarring: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Severe varus deformity and soft tissue injury caused by a burn around a complex knee dislocation is a rare injury. Soft tissue reconstruction and deformity correction with circular hexapod external fixation of the knee and hinged total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are challenging and can lead to major complications if not performed appropriately. We present a case in which a combination of soft tissue reconstruction, circular hexapod external fixation, and TKA was used treat severe knee dislocation due to burn scarring.


CASE PRESENTATION
We report the case of a 58-year-old woman who presented for knee surgery with soft tissue reconstruction, deformity correction with circular hexapod external fixation, and hinged TKA for a severe complex deformity and soft tissue injury caused by a burn injury at 6 months of age. The left leg was shorter by 35 mm in terms of functional leg length discrepancy. She walked with a limp, with a marked varus deformity of the left knee during the stance phase of walking. After a 3-stage repair, the patient was able to walk without assistance, confirming improvement of mobility.


CONCLUSION
The treatment method was an effective use of a combination of soft tissue reconstruction, circular hexapod external fixation, and rehearsal surgery using a 3D printed bone model of the modular rotating hinge component of TKA, which was successfully used to treat a severe knee dislocation due to burn scarring. This staged surgery maintained the leg length and ultimately achieved a satisfactory alignment.
['Nozaka|Koji|K|http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0238-8929', 'Miyakoshi|Naohisa|N|', 'Saito|Hidetomo|H|', 'Kijima|Hiroaki|H|', 'Mita|Motoki|M|', 'Shimada|Yoichi|Y|']
D002921:Cicatrix D016267:External Fixators D005260:Female D005592:Fracture Fixation D006801:Humans D031221:Knee Dislocation D007719:Knee Joint D007720:Knee Prosthesis D008875:Middle Aged
Circular hexapod external fixation Soft tissue reconstruction Hinged total knee arthroplasty