Rotationplasty as a salvage procedure in revision of tumor endoprosthesis of the distal femur - a report of two cases

We performed two rotationplasties (type Al and A2) as salvage procedures in cases of custom- made endoprosthetic replacements of the distal femur and knee joint. The patients suffered from malignant bone and soft-tissue tumor s of the knee, respectively. One of them developed chronic osteomyelitis ar ound both stems of the prosthesis, and three local revisions turned out to be ineffective. The other patient, suffering from parossal osteosarcoma of the distal femur, developed a local recurrence following endoprosthetic rec onstruction. The functional abilities following the operation of these two patients suggested that rotationplasty was a viable alternative to above-th e-knee amputation in failed or severely complicated total arthroplasty of t he knee with massive bone loss.