title: Low-velocity gunshot fractures of the tibia.
abstract: A gunshot-related fracture is a unique type of open fracture. Bullet-induced fractures of the tibia may be encountered in any urban or rural setting as a result of hunting or cleaning mishaps or, perhaps more frequently, of criminal activity. For surgeons with limited experience, there is a bewildering range of apparently contradictory advice concerning their management. This article reports a case of a 53-year-old man with a highly comminuted bullet-induced shaft fracture of the tibia received during hunting activity. The patient was treated with a unilateral external fixator and vascularized flap for skin reconstruction. Six months after surgery, the external fixator was removed at clinical and radiological evidence of healing. At 1 year follow-up, the patient obtained complete healing and returned to normal activity.
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Siena, Dipartimento di Scienze Radiologiche e Ortopedico-Riabilitative, Clinica Ortopedica e Traumatologica, Viale Bracci, 1, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crainz
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gambera
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maniscalco
authors.forename: Celeste
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bertone
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maggiore
mesh_terms: D018460:Fractures, Comminuted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*