Hi i am 14 and am from Ireland. I was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma in February. Soon i will be going to get my leg amputated, and have chosen to get a rotationplasty. I think its better because i will be able to run, jump etc better than with a full amputation. I would love to hear other peoples stories and how theyre getting on, and hopefully one similar to mine!
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Rotationplasty was not given to me as an option when I had my above the knee amputation, I guess because I was already an adult. I heard about the procedure last year for the first time through the story of a teenage ballerina:
She seems to be doing very good and her dancing abilities are definitely impressive!
Regarding long term outcome, complication, quality of life, there are many studies you can take a look at:
Rotationplasty is one treatment option for femoral bone sarcomas in skeletally immature patients. This procedure enables patients to avoid phantom pain, limb length discrepancy, or loosening of an endoprosthesis, and good functional outcome has been...
C Forni, N Gaudenzi, M Zoli, M Manfrini, MG Benedetti, E Pignotti and P Chiari,
Journal of surgical oncology , Mar 2012 15
Knowledge about the long-term sequelae of rotationplasty, in adults treated surgically in childhood for Osteosarcoma in the lower limb, mainly concerns function and performance; the aim of this study is to explore the experience and the Quality of Life (QoL) of the patients who underwent Rotationplasty from 1986 to 2006 in Italy.Quantitative test: Administration SF-36 questionnaire to 20 subjects aged ≥16 years. Qualitative test: Semi-structured interview recorded in 10 of these subjects.Greater well-being was found in the Mental Component Summary (MCS) scale of subjects aged over 24 years, with a score mean of 54.2 (±4.8), compared with that of those aged up to 24 years, with a mean score of 48.0 (±6.6), P = 0.04. Relational and emotional difficulty in adolescence, which had been partially overcome in adulthood, was revealed.The assessment of QoL by the SF-36 questionnaire was effective, and a correspondence was found between what emerged from the quantitative study and the contents of the interview. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses that were highlighted is indispensable for parents and operators when choosing among the various surgical options and to facilitate coming to terms with the injury and the "scars".
RW Rödl, U Pohlmann, G Gosheger, NJ Lindner and W Winkelmann,
Acta orthopaedica Scandinavica , Jan 2002
We assessed the long-term results in 22 patients with rotationplasty after resection of high-grade malignant bone tumors. We used established methods (QLQ-C 30; FLZ) to evaluate the quality of life, diplomas, life-contentment, occupational situation and marriage status. After 10-year follow-up, we found no reduction in psychosocial adaptation, and life contentment was about the same as in healthy persons. We therefore recommend rotationplasty instead of amputation whenever conventional limb salvage is impossible.
M Hanlon and JI Krajbich,
Clinical orthopaedics and related research , Jan 1999
Twenty-one skeletally immature patients with a Grade IIB osteosarcoma about the knee were treated with a modified Van Nes rotationplasty. Fourteen patients were followed up for 4 to 10.5 years (mean followup, 8 years). Functional assessment using Enneking's method showed all had good or excellent results. No patient thought that the reconstruction affected their ability to achieve recreational, sporting, or career goals. The reconstruction is durable and is not associated with an increase in late complications.
F Gottsauner-Wolf, R Kotz, K Knahr, H Kristen, P Ritschl and M Salzer,
The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume , Oct 1991
Seventy patients who had a rotationplasty for treatment of a malignant tumor in the region of the knee (the femur or the tibia) between 1974 and 1987 were followed for two to thirteen years (mean duration of follow-up, four years). Forty-seven patients had a stage-IIB osteosarcoma; the remaining twenty-three patients had a malignant fibrous histiocytoma, a chondrosarcoma, a Ewing sarcoma, or a giant-cell tumor. The most severe postoperative complication was occlusion of the reanastomosed vessels (seven patients), leading to amputation proximal to the knee in three patients. Other complications were problems with wound-healing (eight patients), transient nerve palsy (five patients), irreversible nerve palsy (two patients), pseudarthrosis (four patients), and rotational malalignment (one patient). Late complications included eight fractures, two infections, two delayed unions, and one lymphatic fistula. More than half of the patients were free of complications related to the operative procedure. Forty-four of the patients who had a stage-IIB osteosarcoma could be followed, and their data were analyzed for survival statistics. These patients had a 58 percent rate of disease-free survival and a 70 per cent rate of over-all survival. One patient had a local recurrence five years after the operation.
Overall it looks like a good option, worth trying.
Thanks for these, yeah im sure its the right option to take.
Misty
June 6, 2017, 10:40pm
4
I have a friend of the family who is 10. He has Ewing sarcoma. This was the type of amputation he got. He was definately running and jumping and have a wonderful time. His cancer came back quickly and he is still trying to stop/slow it down. I do know that he likes being able to run around with the other kids.
