A 5-year follow-up study after knee disarticulation in two cases of Gollop-Wolfgang complex

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.

Case Report: Gollop-Wolfgang Complex in a 5 month old baby

Skeletal dysplasias are disorders associated with a generalized abnormality in the skeleton. The Gollop-Wolfgang complex (GWC) is a limb deficiency disorder and an unusual limb malformation with highly variable manifestations. Here we report an interesting case of a 5-month old male baby from India with Gollop-Wolfgang Complex showing bifurcation of the right femur, ectrodactyly of both feet, ectrodactyly of left hand, syndactyly of right hand and unusual presentation of bilateral fibular agenesis and caudal (Sacrococcygeal) agenesis. The etiology of GWC in this 5 month old male baby could possibly be attributed to spontaneous gene mutation. The clinical, radiographic findings and the unusual presentation are presented in detail.

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.

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.