Bifurcation of the femur with tibial agenesis and additional anomalies

A case report of Gollop-Wolfgang complex in 12 years old boy

INTRODUCTION

The Gollop-Wolfgang Complex (GWC) was initially described by Gollop et al. and is a rare congenital limb anomaly disorder characterized by the association of distal bifid femur and tibial agenesis.

CASE PRESENTATION

This study presents a case of a 12-year-old boy with Gollop-Wolfgang Complex (GWC), a rare congenital limb anomaly disorder characterized by the association of distal bifid femur and tibial agenesis. The patient did not have any VACTERL abnormalities and had a normal level of intelligence. Examination revealed coxa valga in both hips and upper limbs on both sides, a shortened left leg with a palpable bony protuberance and absence of the patella, and a shortened right leg with a palpable fibula lateral to the knee and absent tibia with severe knee varus deformity on both sides. Both feet revealed equinovarus deformity with ectrodactyly. The patient underwent through-knee amputation and was fitted with two prostheses to provide enhanced functional support.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

The etiology of GWC is still unknown, but errors in the complex genetic control of limb development are believed to be related.

CONCLUSION

Treatment choice depends on the deformity type, with through-knee amputation recommended for cases with observed flexion contracture, bifid femur, and tibial hemimelia, followed by modern prosthesis fitting for optimal outcomes. This case illustrates the efficacy of this surgical management and highlights the need for ongoing follow-up care.

Fatty filum terminale and low-lying conus medullaris in Gollop-Wolfgang complex: a case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND/IMPORTANCE

Gollop-Wolfgang complex is a rare skeletal dysplasia with only 200 cases reported in the literature. This disorder is usually associated with several extraosseous anomalies. This report describes the first case of a fatty filum terminale and a low-lying conus medullaris in a patient with this complex. A review of the current literature of the Gollop-Wolfgang complex accompanies this case, highlighting the documented extraosseous anomalies seen in this complex.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

We report a case of an 18-month-old patient with Gollop-Wolfgang complex who underwent cord untethering with release of the filum terminale after extensive workup showed the presence of a dyssynergic bladder and radiological evaluation revealed a fatty filum terminale and low-lying conus medullaris.

CONCLUSION

Gollop-Wolfgang complex is a skeletal dysplasia usually associated with several extra skeletal anomalies. Our report describes the first case of a fatty filum terminale and low-lying conus medullaris in this complex, as well as provides an overview of the documented anomalies seen in this disorder. A multidisciplinary approach is recommended when treating these infants in order to ensure that occult manifestations of the complex are not missed.

Lower Extremity Surgical Treatment to Improve Function in a Patient with Gollop-Wolfgang Complex: A Case Report

CASE

Gollop-Wolfgang Complex (GWC) includes congenital absence of the tibia with ipsilateral distal femur bifurcation associated with hand/foot ectrodactyly. A 20-month-old male presented with GWC, including left bifid distal femur with ipsilateral tibial hemimelia and absent extensor mechanism, hypoplastic bilateral thumbs, and right foot tarsal-type preaxial polydactyly. Left through-knee amputation preserving growth and contralateral polydactyly reconstruction were performed. Complications of wound infection and dehiscence were successfully treated. Patient is 44 months old and ambulating with left knee disarticulation prosthesis and right supramalleolar orthosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Through-knee amputation and prosthetic fitting provides limb function for GWC patients with tibial hemimelia lacking an extensor mechanism.

Femoral bifurcation and bilateral tibial hemimelia: case report

Femoral bifurcation and tibial hemimelia are rare anomalies described as a variant of Gollop-Wolfgang complex. This article presents a case of Gollop-Wolfgang complex without hand ectrodactyly. A 5-year old patient presented with bilateral tibial hemimelia and left femoral bifurcation. The patient's left limb lacked knee extensor mechanism, disarticulation was done. The right leg which had Jones type 2 tibia hemimelia was treated with tibiofibular synostosis. Currently patient is ambulant with prosthesis on the left limb and ankle foot orthosis on the right. In the absence of proximal tibial anlage, especially in patients with femoral bifurcation, the knee should be disarticulated. Tibiofibular synostosis is a good choice in the presence of a proximal tibial anlage with good quadriceps function.

Limb salvage treatment for Gollop-Wolfgang complex (femoral bifurcation, complete tibial hemimelia, and hand ectrodactyly)

We reported the findings from three patients with Gollop-Wolfgang complex and demonstrated the results of five limb salvage treatments for this condition. All three femoral bifurcations were accompanied by ipsilateral complete tibial hemimelia. Two patients showed contralateral complete or partial tibial hemimelia, and one patient had hand ectrodactyly. The five limb salvage treatments included resection of the anteromedial bifurcated femur in three limbs, foot centralization in five limbs, tibiofibular fusion in one limb with partial tibial hemimelia, fibular transfer (Brown's procedure) in three limbs with complete tibial hemimelia, and callus distraction lengthening in one limb. The duration from the first operation to the final follow-up ranged from 3.5 to 5.4 years. None of the three knees treated by fibular transfer achieved a successful functional result, but all of the knees were ultimately able to withstand weight bearing. Early knee disarticulation and resection of the protruded bifurcated femur, followed by fitting of a modern prosthesis is likely to be the best treatment for patients with Gollop-Wolfgang syndrome. We note that limb salvage treatment is an alternative in patients who opt to retain their feet and refuse amputation.

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis--genetics and syndromes

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) is a common condition in neonates that is characterized by an acquired narrowing of the pylorus. The aetiology of isolated IHPS is still largely unknown. Classic genetic studies have demonstrated an increased risk in families of affected infants. Several genetic studies in groups of individuals with isolated IHPS have identified chromosomal regions linked to the condition; however, these associations could usually not be confirmed in subsequent cohorts, suggesting considerable genetic heterogeneity. IHPS is associated with many clinical syndromes that have known causative mutations. Patients with syndromes associated with IHPS can be considered as having an extreme phenotype of IHPS and studying these patients will be instrumental in finding causes of isolated IHPS. Possible pathways in syndromic IHPS include: (neuro)muscular disorders; connective tissue disorders; metabolic disorders; intracellular signalling pathway disturbances; intercellular communication disturbances; ciliopathies; DNA-repair disturbances; transcription regulation disorders; MAPK-pathway disturbances; lymphatic abnormalities; and environmental factors. Future research should focus on linkage analysis and next-generation molecular techniques in well-defined families with multiple affected members. Studies will have an increased chance of success if detailed phenotyping is applied and if knowledge about the various possible causative pathways is used in evaluating results.

Tibial hemimelia and femoral bifurcation

Femoral bifurcation and tibial agenesis are rare anomalies and have been described in both the Gollop-Wolfgang complex and tibial agenesis-ectrodactyly syndrome. This article presents a case of Gollop-Wolfgang complex without hand ectrodactyly. Tibial agenesis-ectrodactyly syndrome and Gollop-Wolfgang complex are variants of tibial field defect, which includes distal femoral duplication, tibial aplasia, oligo-ectrodactylous toe defects, and preaxial polydactyly, occasionally associated with hand ectrodactyly.This article describes the case of a patient with bilateral tibial hemimelia and left femoral bifurcation. The proximal tibial anlage had not been identified in the patient's left leg. After failed fibular transfer procedure, the knee was disarticulated. The other leg was treated with tibiofibular synostosis and centralization of fibula to os calcis. At 7-year follow-up, the patient ambulates with an above-knee prosthesis and uses an orthopedic boot for ankle stability.In patients with a congenital absence of the tibia, accurate diagnosis is of the utmost importance in planning future treatment. In the absence of proximal tibial anlage, especially in patients with femoral bifurcation, the knee should be disarticulated. Tibiofibular synostosis is a good choice in the presence of a proximal tibial anlage and good quadriceps function.

Limb anomalies in patients with CHARGE syndrome: an expansion of the phenotype

CHARGE syndrome is characterized by a wide clinical variability. During the past years the phenotypic spectrum was markedly expanded. Limb anomalies were initially not recognized as part of the phenotype but more recently mild limb anomalies were described in approximately 30% of the patients. We report on three patients with several major features of CHARGE syndrome who, in addition, presented severe limb anomalies including monodactyly, tibia aplasia, and bifid femora. Three different heterozygous truncating mutations in the CHD7 gene were detected. It has been hypothesized before that the CHARGE syndrome is caused by a disruption of mesenchymal-epithelial interaction. Given the expression of the CHD7 gene in the developing limb bud, it was anticipated that limb defects would belong to the spectrum of manifestations of CHARGE syndrome. The present observations provide further support to this hypothesis.

Tibial agenesis-ectrodactyly syndrome associated with novel cardiovascular and bronchopulmonary malformations

We report a 9-month-old female infant presenting, on the 15th day of life, left tibial agenesis with ectrodactyly, right talipes equinovarus, syndactyly of the second and the third toes of the right foot, an incomplete split right foot, left fibular hypoplasia, bronchial stenosis/hypoplasia, and coarctation of the aortic arch. To the best of our knowledge, coarctation of the aortic arch and bronchial stenosis/hypoplasia have never been reported in the tibial agenesis-ectrodactyly syndrome.