Bridging hard callus at 48 days in an open femoral shaft fracture with segmental defect treated with a first-stage Masquelet technique: I wasn’t expecting that

The Masquelet technique is a strategy for management of segmental bone defects. It is a two-stage procedure that involves inducing a synovial-like membrane that can be used for a bone graft. Segmental bone defects can occur following trauma and can accompany traumatic brain injury. There is a well-documented, albeit debated, association between traumatic brain injury and increased rate of new bone formation. Here, we present a case of unexpected callus formation in a segmental femoral fracture. The patient had a traumatic brain injury and was treated with the first stage of the Masquelet technique. Owing to the amount of large callus, a second stage of the Masquelet was not required. The patient recovered well from the injury and at 16-week follow-up was able to partially weight bear. A case similar to this has not previously been reported within the literature.