Are open surgery and total resection good choices for traumatic myositis ossificans in children?

BACKGROUND

Traumatic myositis ossificans is a self-limited, non-neoplastic, ectopic bone formation in the soft tissues caused by trauma. Conservative treatment is the mainstay of management. However, open surgery and complete resection should be considered in patients with limited joint function and constant pain. Herein, we retrospectively analyzed the outcome of open surgical resection in children with myositis ossificans (MO).

METHODS

The data of patients diagnosed with MO between February 2010 and May 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical data included medical history, physical examination, and laboratory, imaging, and pathological findings. All patients underwent an open surgery and total resection. Radiography findings and joint function were evaluated. Patients with developing complications, such as recurrence and assessing joint function, were followed up. In total, 20 patients (sex, 15 male and 5 female patients; age, 8.1 ± 2.5 years) were included.

RESULTS

MO was located around the elbow, wrist, proximal humerus, and thigh in 13, one, one, and five patients, respectively. All patients were followed up for > 12 months. Two patients had partial recurrence after surgery. One patient with forearm MO had poor elbow function (Broberg-Morrey score of 70). Nineteen patients had good functional outcomes according to the Broberg-Morrey and Cooney methods.

CONCLUSION

Open surgical resection is an effective method for children with MO. The recurrence rate was low when the surgery was performed after the acute stage (1.5 months from disease presentation).