Hey y'all. My name is Brandon and I was in a major motor vehicle accident last year on 01/17/19, and I'm currently suffering from a high grade of Heterotopic Ossification (HO) in my left hip. I don't have a THR, but this is the only forum with helpful information about HO, and I do have a THR related question, so I hope you'll allow me to stay. This is gonna be a pretty long post so thanks for taking the time to read it!
So first I'll give some background info before telling my full situation.
Background:
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: African american
Car Accident Ortho Injuries:
1. Open displaced fracture of proximal epiphysis of left femur.
2. Open nondisplaced fracture of anterior column of left acetabulum.
3. Left thigh morel-lavallee lesion.
Dates of Ortho Surgical Procedures:
01/18: Intramedullary nail (IMN) forced into left femur.
01/22: Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of left both column acetabulum.
01/24: ORIF of left both column acetabular fracture with fixation of left posterior wall.
Alright so here's the breakdown. After going through the multiple surgeries and being discharged from the hospital I noticed my left hip looking deformed and noticeably bigger than my right hip. I discussed this with my orthopedic surgeon (OS) and he said it was Heterotopic Ossification.
Apparently HO is not a rare condition, but it usually isn't severe enough to affect range of motion (ROM) so he told me not to worry about it too much. Well turns out my HO is a rare case because it has affected my left hip ROM terribly. I can't lift my left leg up high, reach my toes, put on socks, tie my shoes, etc, etc, etc. Basically my left hip seems completely stiff and frozen due to the excess HO bone.
I have an appointment with my OS on the first week of February and we're going to discuss the possibility of surgically removing the HO. We actually briefly discussed removing the HO last year, but he said we needed to wait a year before removing it in order for the HO to fully mature. During my recovery process I've had a lot of time to research HO and I came across this forum and a member's (CalciumHip) incredibly helpful thread: https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/heterotopic-ossification-after-total-hip-replacement.39660/
Like CalciumHip I also live in Georgia and have the opportunity to make an appointment with the OS at Emory University Hospital (Dr. Shervin Oskouei) that successfully removed his wife's HO. But before I make that appointment I wanted to ask the very helpful members of this forum a few questions first:
1. Should I make an appointment with Dr. Oskouei even though he wasn't the OS that operated on me after the accident? Or does it make more sense for the original OS to remove the HO? My original OS is great, but he doesn't have as much experience with HO.
2. Is it necessary to tell my current OS that I want a second opinion from Dr. Oskouei? Would they exchange info with each other to make it easier for Dr. Oskouei to perform the surgery? They are from different hospitals, but the two hospitals are affiliated if that makes a difference.
3. I read in CalciumHip's thread that his wife got a Full Body Bone Scan prior to her having HO surgery. My OS only said I would need a MRI prior to surgery. Has anyone had experience with a Bone Scan or a MRI? Or knows which is the better or safer method?
4. My OS said that I was supposed to recieve radiation treatment prior to him performing the three surgeries, in an effort to prevent HO, but apparently the radiation team refused to do it because they wrongly assumed I wouldn't be at high risk of developing HO. Now that I know radiation treatment is necessary to prevent HO from forming, are there any negatives or side effects to the radiation?
5. This is a scary thought but...Would a car accident like this make it more likely I'll need a THR in the future? And would HO surgery on the same hip also make it more likely?
I've included my x-rays for y'all to get a better understanding of my sitiation! Thanks!
-- Brandon.
So first I'll give some background info before telling my full situation.
Background:
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: African american
Car Accident Ortho Injuries:
1. Open displaced fracture of proximal epiphysis of left femur.
2. Open nondisplaced fracture of anterior column of left acetabulum.
3. Left thigh morel-lavallee lesion.
Dates of Ortho Surgical Procedures:
01/18: Intramedullary nail (IMN) forced into left femur.
01/22: Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of left both column acetabulum.
01/24: ORIF of left both column acetabular fracture with fixation of left posterior wall.
Alright so here's the breakdown. After going through the multiple surgeries and being discharged from the hospital I noticed my left hip looking deformed and noticeably bigger than my right hip. I discussed this with my orthopedic surgeon (OS) and he said it was Heterotopic Ossification.
Apparently HO is not a rare condition, but it usually isn't severe enough to affect range of motion (ROM) so he told me not to worry about it too much. Well turns out my HO is a rare case because it has affected my left hip ROM terribly. I can't lift my left leg up high, reach my toes, put on socks, tie my shoes, etc, etc, etc. Basically my left hip seems completely stiff and frozen due to the excess HO bone.
I have an appointment with my OS on the first week of February and we're going to discuss the possibility of surgically removing the HO. We actually briefly discussed removing the HO last year, but he said we needed to wait a year before removing it in order for the HO to fully mature. During my recovery process I've had a lot of time to research HO and I came across this forum and a member's (CalciumHip) incredibly helpful thread: https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/heterotopic-ossification-after-total-hip-replacement.39660/
Like CalciumHip I also live in Georgia and have the opportunity to make an appointment with the OS at Emory University Hospital (Dr. Shervin Oskouei) that successfully removed his wife's HO. But before I make that appointment I wanted to ask the very helpful members of this forum a few questions first:
1. Should I make an appointment with Dr. Oskouei even though he wasn't the OS that operated on me after the accident? Or does it make more sense for the original OS to remove the HO? My original OS is great, but he doesn't have as much experience with HO.
2. Is it necessary to tell my current OS that I want a second opinion from Dr. Oskouei? Would they exchange info with each other to make it easier for Dr. Oskouei to perform the surgery? They are from different hospitals, but the two hospitals are affiliated if that makes a difference.
3. I read in CalciumHip's thread that his wife got a Full Body Bone Scan prior to her having HO surgery. My OS only said I would need a MRI prior to surgery. Has anyone had experience with a Bone Scan or a MRI? Or knows which is the better or safer method?
4. My OS said that I was supposed to recieve radiation treatment prior to him performing the three surgeries, in an effort to prevent HO, but apparently the radiation team refused to do it because they wrongly assumed I wouldn't be at high risk of developing HO. Now that I know radiation treatment is necessary to prevent HO from forming, are there any negatives or side effects to the radiation?
5. This is a scary thought but...Would a car accident like this make it more likely I'll need a THR in the future? And would HO surgery on the same hip also make it more likely?
I've included my x-rays for y'all to get a better understanding of my sitiation! Thanks!
-- Brandon.
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