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  • Isolated lower limb hypoplasia secondary to congenital varicella syndrome: a rare occurrence and management of its complications

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CASE REPORT
Isolated lower limb hypoplasia secondary to congenital varicella syndrome: a rare occurrence and management of its complications
  1. Sneha Mehta1,
  2. Willem Schenk1,
  3. Stephen Kirker2,
  4. Amit Atrey1
  1. 1West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust, Bury Saint Edmunds, UK
  2. 2Addenbrooke's Rehabilitation Medicine, Cambridge, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sneha Mehta, snehamehta{at}doctors.org.uk

Summary

Isolated lower limb hypoplasia is a rare consequence of maternal congenital varicella syndrome (CVS). The hypoplastic limb is susceptible to multiple injuries, including fractures, especially if there is associated muscle weakness and lack of sensation. We describe a unique index case of a woman aged 26 years with a background of CVS who presented with a distal femur fracture following a fall onto her insensate, hypoplastic right leg. This report highlights the complexities involved in the diagnosis and management of fractures in patients with an anaesthetic limb, and in particular describes limb amputation as a successful treatment modality for distal femur fractures.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2016-218521

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors SM, foundation year 2 doctor, was involved in the initial clerking and management of patient in the emergency department, acquisition of patient consent and images in theatre, assisted in above knee amputation with senior consultant, case write up and guarantor of the report. WS is the senior trauma and orthopaedic consultant in charge of the case, and its operative and management decisions. SK is the rehabilitation consultant who kindly saw the patient in preamputation clinic with advice on prosthesis and psychosocial support. AA is the trauma and orthopaedic consultant who assisted in case write up, editing and guidance on submission of case report.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.