Open dislocations of the midfoot and subtalar joints are extremely rare injuries. Understanding the anatomy of these joints and the various injury patterns is imperative to obtain stable concentric reduction and provide good functional outcome. We present a report of a 26-year old male who was involved in a road traffic accident and sustained open dislocations of the calcaneocuboid, naviculocuneiform and subtalar joints. He initially underwent external fixation in view of the severe soft tissue injury. After improvement of the soft tissue condition, he underwent K-wiring of the calcaneocuboid joint, buttress plating of the talonaviculocuneiform joint, peroneal tendon reconstruction using hamstring allograft and defect coverage with a free anterolateral thigh flap. With appropriate rehabilitation protocols, patient recovered well and was allowed to weight bear as tolerated by 10 weeks. His wounds healed completely by 4 months. We report this case considering the rarity of the combined calcaneocuboid, naviculocuneiform and subtalar dislocations which were successfully managed.

Bosworth fracture-dislocation of the ankle is a rare injury in which the proximal fibular fragment is entrapped behind the tibia. Closed reduction is extremely difficult to achieve. Early open reduction and internal fixation enables a better outcome by minimising soft-tissue damage. We report on a 36-year-old man who underwent open reduction and internal fixation for a Bosworth fracture-dislocation of the ankle complicated by severe soft-tissue swelling and an impending risk of skin necrosis after failed closed reduction.

No abstract

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections of the musculoskeletal system are commonly missed due to its rarity and the absence of systemic symptoms. A high clinical index of suspicion is required to recognize such infections as they may occur in immunocompetent hosts. We present two cases of foot and ankle NTM infections involving Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium abscessus in two such patients. The first case involves an 83-year old lady who presented with a two-month history of multiple foot abscesses initially treated at a rural hospital. She underwent drainage and debridement of her foot, with eventual cultures growing Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium abscessus. She was initially treated with clarithromycin and doxycycline. At one year follow-up review, her wound healed completely. The second case involves a 55-year old man who presented with infection following midfoot fusion and anterolateral thigh flap for an open complex fracture dislocation of his right foot. Cultures eventually grew Mycobacterium fortuitum and he was treated with cefoxitin, clarithromycin and doxycycline. 10 months after his initial injury, the infection has cleared and his flap was clean. Through these 2 cases, we hope to highlight the unusual presentations of such infections and illustrate that with a high initial index of suspicion and appropriate treatment, these infections can be treated successfully.

INTRODUCTIONThis study aimed to determine ethnic differences in the proximal femur morphology of elderly patients with femoral neck fractures in Singapore. CONCLUSION We found statistically significant differences in the femoral head sizes and calcar-to-canal width ratios among women of different ethnic groups. There were also differences in neck-shaft angles between Chinese and Indian women, and between Malay and Indian women. METHODS