Causing Ankylosis of the Elbow

Heterotrophic ossification of the upper limb is a rare post-traumatic complication.1) Moreover, it is not very common among children. The localized form of myositis ossificans of the upper limb often occurs in the brachialis muscle. When such ossification occurs around a joint, fixed de-formities and complete restriction of motion can result. Although the condition is said to be self limiting,2) excision is unavoidable in circumstances where the myositic mass limits daily activities. High suspicion is needed to diag-nose this condition clinically. A painless enlarging mass occurring after single or repeated trauma should lead to a suspicion of myositis ossificans.3) Ultrasound or radio-graphs should be used to make the clinicoradiological di-agnosis. We experienced an unusually large myositic mass in a teenage boy, which restricted elbow motion. Complete surgical excision led to significant improvement of elbow function. Myositis ossificans traumatica is an unusual complication following a muscle contusion injury. A significantly large myositic mass causing ankylosis of the elbow is even rarer. We report a 13-year-old boy who presented with a 14-month history of a fixed elbow with no movement and a palpable bony mass in the anterior aspect of the elbow. He had sustained significant trauma to the af-fected limb 1 month prior to onset of symptoms, which was managed by native massage and bandaging for 4 weeks. The clinico-radiological diagnosis was suggestive of myositis ossificans, and the myositic mass was completely excised. Histopathology revealed lamellar bone. The 2-year follow-up showed full function of the affected limb and no signs of recurrence. We report this case of clinical interest due to the unusually large myositic mass