Accelerated Frostbite-induced Acroosteolysis in Pediatric Insensate Hand: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Abstract

In pediatric patients, frostbite is a well-documented cause of epiphyseal cartilage destruction and subsequent growth deformity of the affected phalanges. Cases of full acroosteolysis also referred to as phalangeal osteolysis, of distal phalanges as soon as 3 months after cold exposure have yet to be reported. We describe a complicated case of frostbite-associated phalangeal osteolysis in the dominant hand of a 9-year-old patient, in the context of post-traumatic insensate hand after sustaining prior electrical burn injuries. This case demonstrates the unique sequela of pediatric frostbite injury involving early loss of the distal phalanx through resorption of the bone and parallel soft tissue retraction, rendering early plastic surgery reconstruction impractical. Reconstructive strategies for frostbite injury in pediatric patients will need to account for the individualized dynamic tissue changes that develop in the months after cold exposure.