Lower limb salvage surgery using Ilizarov circular external frame for a landmine injury about the knee

Bahtiyar Demiralp; Cengiz Yıldırım; Yüksel Yurttaş; Engin İlker Çiçek; Mustafa Başbozkurt

doi:10.5606/ehc.2013.10

Bahtiyar Demiralp¹, Cengiz Yıldırım², Yüksel Yurttaş¹, Engin İlker Çiçek³, Mustafa Başbozkurt¹

¹Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey
²Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Tatvan Military Hospital, Bitlis, Turkey
³Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Gölcük Military Hospital, Kocaeli, Turkey

Keywords: External frame; Ilizarov method; landmine; limb salvage.

Abstract

Limb salvage for severe trauma has been replaced amputation as the primary treatment in many trauma centers. However, the long-term outcomes after limb reconstruction or amputation have not been fully evaluated. In this report, we present the treatment results of limb salvage surgery using Ilizarov external circular frame in a male case who had a-22-cm bone loss on the left distal femur and left proximal tibia and large soft tissue defect around the knee due to stepping on a landmine with his knee. The decision to amputate a severely injured limb, being irreversible, is challenging and significantly affects the body image and the patient. Extremity salvage surgery should be considered initially when evaluating patients with high-energy injured limbs at high risk for amputation.