Earlier this month, Dr. Ian Woodgate used the  OsteoBridge® tumour prosthesis for the first time in Australia. Merete, a German company based in Berlin, has introduced their products through Global Orthopaedic Technology.

In this case, a large secondary tumour (sqamous cell carcinoma) of the femoral shaft was resected and replaced with the  OsteoBridge® construct. Purpose designed intramedullary nails (nails may be different sizes) are inserted into the remaining femur distally and proximally, the space created by the resection is filled with a titanium cylindrical cage which connects to the nails previously inserted.

Dr. Woodgate joined two cages together before attaching the construct to the intramedullary nails in order to bridge the considerable gap left by the tumour resection.

The Pre-operative CT (fig 1)shows the extent of the tumour. The resected tumour (fig 2) can be seen. The intraoperative image (fig 3) show the cage construct in situ. The post operative x-ray (fig 4) show the excursion of the intramedullary nails within the femoral canal and their relation to the centrally placed cages.

The patient will be able to weight bear almost immediately. The nails were cross locked. It is possible to dynamize either the proximal or the distal segments as required.

The compact system of instruments and implants is indicated for use in all long bones; femur, tibia and humerus