Spontaneous Regeneration of a Large Sequestrated. Diaphyseal Segment of Tibia

Abstract

JM, an eight-year old Nigerian girl, was admitted to Ahmadu Bello University Hospital, Zaria, with a six-month history of discharging lesions in tant management in children, resulting in the left forearm and right leg following a febrile ill.ness which, prior to the admission, was treated ration of a diaphyseal gap in a growing child can by traditional healers. There was no history of therefore apparently occur provided there is an trauma. The child was not toxic but there were intact periosteal tube. The present case suggests two discharging sinuses in the left forearm and a that such spontaneous regeneration may also 3cm x 4cm discharging wound on the right leg occur in gaps resulting from haematogenous with about 3cm of sequestrated tibia exposed. Hb osteomyelitis in children. genotype was A. Staphylococcus aureus, sensitive to ampiclox, lincomycin and chloramphenicol, was isolated from the purulent discharges. Xray of tibia (Fig. 1) showed chronic osteromyelitis of the tibia with a large sequestrum. Similar findings occurred in the left ulna. Eighteen days after admission, sequestrectomies 

Surg 1965; 47B: 106-10. were performed on both the tibia and ulna, leaving a gap in the diaphysis of the right tibia (Fig. 

2). Both limbs were put in protective plaster The treatment recommended for the loss of a cast. Three months after the operation, regene significant part of the shaft of the tibia secondary ration of the gap in the tibia had progressed (Fig. to osteomyelitis and trauma is transplantation of 3) and by six months post-operatively,  the ipsilateral fibula to bridge the gap, the regenerated segment had consolidated sufficiently A case in which spontaneous regeneration for the cast to be discarded and the limb safely of a sequestrated segment of tibia occurred in a mobilised (Fig. 4).