Treatment of Pathological Femoral Fractures Caused by Fibrous Dysplasia Using the Bridging Combination Internal Fixation System: A Case Report

BACKGROUND Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a rare skeletal lesion. Current FD therapies center on surgery, the only modality with curative potential. Pharmacologic agents show promise but still lack large-scale evidence of halting disease progression. However, there is currently no unified surgical protocol for FD. Therefore, identifying an effective surgical approach remains important. CASE REPORT We report a case of a 29-year-old Chinese male patient with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia (PFD), presenting with Shepherd's crook deformity and a pathological fracture in the subtrochanteric region of the left femur. We applied a bridging combination internal fixation system for the first time in this patient. The patient adhered to our postoperative rehabilitation protocol for functional recovery and progressive weight-bearing exercises and was followed up regularly. RUSH (Radiographic Union Scale for Hip) scores were 9, 22, and 28 at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery, respectively. In addition, the left hip function score improved from 28 preoperatively to 88 at 6 months postoperatively. These findings indicate satisfactory fracture healing and excellent recovery of hip function. CONCLUSIONS This novel bridging combination internal fixation system offers the advantages of minimal invasiveness, stable fixation, and easy contouring, and it effectively treats femoral pathological fractures caused by fibrous dysplasia; thus, it is expected to become a viable surgical option for such fractures in the future.