Living with rotationplasty--quality of life in rotationplasty patients from childhood to adulthood.
BACKGROUND
Knowledge about the long-term sequelae of rotationplasty, in adults treated surgically in childhood for Osteosarcoma in the lower limb, mainly concerns function and performance; the aim of this study is to explore the experience and the Quality of Life (QoL) of the patients who underwent Rotationplasty from 1986 to 2006 in Italy.


METHODS
Quantitative test: Administration SF-36 questionnaire to 20 subjects aged ≥16 years. Qualitative test: Semi-structured interview recorded in 10 of these subjects.


RESULTS
Greater well-being was found in the Mental Component Summary (MCS) scale of subjects aged over 24 years, with a score mean of 54.2 (±4.8), compared with that of those aged up to 24 years, with a mean score of 48.0 (±6.6), P = 0.04. Relational and emotional difficulty in adolescence, which had been partially overcome in adulthood, was revealed.


CONCLUSIONS
The assessment of QoL by the SF-36 questionnaire was effective, and a correspondence was found between what emerged from the quantitative study and the contents of the interview. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses that were highlighted is indispensable for parents and operators when choosing among the various surgical options and to facilitate coming to terms with the injury and the "scars".
Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Muskuloscheletal Oncology, Bologna, Italy. cristiana.forni@ior.it
Cristiana
C
Forni
Noemi
N
Gaudenzi
Marina
M
Zoli
Marco
M
Manfrini
Maria Grazia
MG
Benedetti
Elettra
E
Pignotti
Paolo
P
Chiari
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D023821:Limb Salvage / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D011788:Quality of Life; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012399:Rotation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult