No abstract

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) or Moschowitz's syndrome is characterized by release of unusually large von Willebrand factor (ULvWF) multimers and a deficiency of vWF metalloprotease. It is a very rare condition, but it causes serious problems. The etiology is still unknown, although surgical stress has been associated with TTP, probably by releasing massive amounts of ULvWF. TTP is an acute, recurrent disease of the circulatory system, consisting of thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, fever, neurological signs, and renal dysfunction. It has the strong possibility of being fatal and thus should be treated immediately, mostly by plasmapheresis. We report a case of TTP following a high tibial valgus osteotomy. An association between TTP and orthopedic surgery--as far as we know--has only once been reported in the literature. We suggest that orthopedic surgeons should be aware of this because, although very rare, postsurgical TTP could be a life-threatening postoperative complication, which needs prompt diagnosis and treatment.

We present the case of a patient who sustained simultaneous bilateral posterior dislocation of the shoulder after a possible epileptic fit. The confirmation of the diagnosis was reached only by a computed tomography (CT) scan, after the clinical suspicion. Under general anesthesia, close reduction of both shoulder dislocations was done. Posterior dislocation of the shoulder-especially the bilateral one-is very rare. When the history describes an electric shock or convulsive seizure, any shoulder injury demands a careful clinical and radiological evaluation. It is usually associated with reverse Hill-Sachs lesion (an impression defect of the anteromedial aspect of the humeral head), in which the size determines the treatment options.