Single-stage bilateral distal femur replacement for traumatic distal femur fractures

Treatment of periprosthetic distal femur fractures and comminuted intraarticular distal femur fractures with previous arthritis remains a difficult challenge for orthopedic surgeons. Previous case series have shown that distal femur replacement (DFR) can effectively compensate for bone loss, relieve knee pain, and allow for early ambulation in both of these fracture patterns. Owing to the typical low-energy mechanism of these injuries, a bilateral injury treated with DFR is rarely encountered. We present a patient with traumatic open left Rorabeck III/Su III periprosthetic distal femur fracture and closed right intraarticular distal femur fracture (AO fcation 33-C2) with end-stage arthrosis treated with single-stage bilateral DFR. We suggest that in patients with similar injuries, single-stage bilateral DFR can provide the benefits of early mobilization and accelerated recovery.