Intraosseous bioabsorbable poly-L-lactic acid screw presenting as a late foreign-body reaction: a case report.

Abstract

A 17-year-old woman complained of a localized painful swelling in her foot 30 months after internal fixation of a closed tarsometatarsal joint fracture with interfragmentary poly-L-lactic acid screws. Aspiration revealed a sterile abscess. Radiographs displayed an osteolytic lesion corresponding to a screw track in the first tarsometarsal joint. Formation of a draining sinus tract required surgical excision of a small granulomatous lesion. Histologic analysis found deposits of birefringent polymeric particles surrounded by a nonspecific foreign-body type reaction. This represents the first reported case of a draining sinus tract secondary to the use of polylactic acid screw fixation.

• Authors: S Mosier-Laclair, H Pike, G Pomeroy
• Journal: Foot & ankle international (Foot Ankle Int) Vol. 22 Issue 3 Pg. 247-51 (Mar 2001) ISSN: 1071-1007 [Print] United States
• PMID: 11310868 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Polyesters
• Polymers
• Lactic Acid
• poly(lactide)

Topics

• Abscess (etiology)
• Absorbable Implants (adverse effects)
• Adolescent
• Bone Screws (adverse effects)
• Female
• Foot Injuries (complications, surgery)
• Foreign-Body Reaction (etiology, therapy)
• Fracture Fixation, Internal (adverse effects, instrumentation)
• Fractures, Bone (complications, surgery)
• Humans
• Lactic Acid (adverse effects)
• Polyesters
• Polymers (adverse effects)
• Postoperative Complications
• Tarsal Joints (injuries, surgery)
• Time Factors