Guided tissue regeneration with heterologous materials in primary subtalar arthrodesis: a case report

A 62-year-old Caucasian woman fell approximately 6 m from a ladder. At our emergency department she was diagnosed with a comminuted dislocated fracture of her left proximal tibia, a proximal fracture of her right tibia, a pilon fracture of her right tibia, a comminuted fracture of her left calcaneus, a fracture of her left lateral malleolus, and an L-1 spinal fracture. We urgently operated, performing external fixation of both tibial fractures and osteosynthesis of her left fibula as well as external fixation of her right pilon fracture.

Her left calcaneus had a comminuted multifragmental fracture (Sanders type IV) with severe destruction of the cartilage of her subtalar joint and depression of Böhler’s angle (Fig. 1). Considering the severity of the fracture, we decided to perform primary arthrodesis of her subtalar joint with elevation of the Böhler’s angle instead of osteosynthesis of the calcaneus. Because of the severe damage to her soft tissues, we decided to perform the primary arthrodesis after 5 weeks. Because she had multiple fractures and consequently multiple operations, we decided to use a heterologous bone graft instead of the autologous cortico-cancellous graft from her iliac crest to avoid possible additional complications at the donor site.

We used a 7.3 mm titanium screw for the subtalar arthrodesis and a V block (an equine heterologous cancellous collagenated bone wedge; OsteoBiol, Tecnoss®) to restore the Böhler’s angle. This was used instead of an autologous cortico-cancellous graft (Fig. 2). For spongioplasty, we used an equine heterologous cortico-cancellous collagenated pre-hydrated bone mix (mp3, Tecnoss®) (Fig. 3). A resorbable collagen membrane (heterologous collagen membrane, Evolution, Tecnoss®) was used to maintain tissue guidance during regeneration and to avoid potential non-union (Fig. 4). Our patient received antibiotic prophylaxis for 2 days; she was mobilized 1 day after the operation (in a wheelchair due to her other fractures) and drainage was removed on the second day. After 1 week she was sent to our University Medical Rehabilitation Center. She had regular check-ups every second week (with X-rays). Six weeks after her last operation (subtalar arthrodesis on her left side), she was allowed full weight-bearing with crutches on her right foot and partial weight-bearing on her left foot (20–30 kg).

Four weeks after the subtalar arthrodesis, a plain X-ray showed good incorporation of the graft. Eight weeks later, the wound had healed properly and she was allowed to begin full weight-bearing. The graft was fully incorporated 12 weeks after the procedure.

A year and a half after her injury, our patient had no pain and walked without limping (Fig. 5).

Calcaneal fractures are difficult to treat, especially when extensive depression of Böhler’s angle is present. Primary subtalar arthrodesis appears to be a good treatment option, because most comminuted calcaneal fractures end in post-traumatic subtalar arthrosis [5]. GTR has been used in oral surgery for many decades and its principles can also be used in orthopedic trauma surgery [9, 12]. In GTR for bone defect fulfillment, different grafts can be used (an autologous or allogenous bone graft, synthetic materials, or heterologous bone) but a main component is a resorbable collagen membrane, which prevents ingrowth of unwanted cells and allows the passage of desired cells. In manufacturing the heterologous bone, the antigenic components are neutralized but the collagen matrix is preserved inside the granules of the biomaterial. Collagen has a key role in the bone regeneration process: (1) it acts as a valid substrate for platelet activation and aggregation; (2) it serves to attract and differentiate the mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow; (3) it increases the proliferation rate of osteoblasts by up to three times; and (4) it stimulates the activation of the platelets, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts in the tissue healing process [13, 14].

We present a new application of GTR, using an equine heterologous graft and a resorbable collagen membrane together, which can be used for extensive bone defects after comminuted calcaneal fractures. The main reason we used an equine heterologous bone wedge was the severe depression of the Böhler’s angle in our patient, which would demand a large amount of autologous bone graft.

The described principles of GTR can also be also in cases of secondary arthrodesis, fulfillment of large bone defects in comminuted fractures, and in the case of non-union of the bone.

A comminuted calcaneal fracture can be difficult to manage and it the approach is largely based on the surgeon’s experience. In our case, where arthrodesis and spongioplasty were needed, we used GTR with a resorbable collagen membrane and an equine heterologous bone graft. The rapid incorporation of the heterologous bone graft, which was enhanced by the collagen membrane, supports the efficacy of the described principles of GTR and we suggest that this approach could be used more often in cases where bone grafts are needed.

Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal.