Published in:
01-12-2013 | Case Report
Administration of teriparatide treatment for a challenging case of nonunion of periprosthetic fracture after total knee arthroplasty
Published in: Archives of Osteoporosis | Issue 1-2/2013
Login to get accessAbstract
Introduction
Management of a periprosthetic fracture after total knee arthroplasty is often challenging because it typically occurs in elderly patients, who often have osteoporotic bone with a high risk of delayed union and nonunion. Thus, administration of a medication that could effectively accelerate fracture healing to prevent a delayed union or nonunion should significantly improve treatment outcome and patient's quality of life.
Case presentation
We report the case of a 74-year-old rheumatoid arthritis woman with nonunion of a periprosthetic fracture after total knee arthroplasty, in whom bone union could not be achieved even after she underwent internal fixation and bone grafting twice; however, successful bone fusion was achieved after simple once-weekly administration of teriparatide for 6 months.
Discussion
Although we report only one patient, the present case may suggest the advantage of preventive administration of teriparatide in addition to surgical procedures for treating nonunion of a periprosthetic fracture after total knee arthroplasty.