The Use of Photodynamic Bone Stabilization to Tamponade Bleeding in a Pathologic Humeral Shaft Fracture: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION: Hypervascular tumors such as renal and thyroid carcinoma have a significant risk of intraoperative bleeding. To help mitigate bleeding, interventional preoperative embolization is traditionally used; however, it is success is highly variable. This is the first case report to discuss using expandable balloon implants with a minimally invasive approach to achieve fracture fixation and tamponade acute intraoperative bleeding. CASE REPORT: A 48-year-old male with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma presented with a left humeral shaft pathologic fracture. The patient was scheduled to undergo open biopsy, curettage of tumor, and fracture fixation with an intramedullary device. Intraoperatively, during open biopsy and curettage, brisk bleeding was encountered, which ceased after inserting an intramedullary photodynamic bone stabilization implant (IlluminOss). The implant’s balloon expanded to the diameter of the humerus allowing for tamponade, fracture stability, and a minimally invasive approach. CONCLUSION: We present a possible intraoperative option for achieving control of bleeding in pathologic long bone fractures by deploying a photodynamic stabilization device. The method described can have applications in specific patients and obviate the need for pre-operative embolization for highly vascular tumors due to the implant’s ability to create tamponade within the bone.