A 'made in one piece' skeleton in a 22-year-old man suffering from sickle cell anaemia

A 22-year-old African male with known sickle cell anaemia was referred by a Congolese medical centre with a request to improve his poor physical condition. He was unable to walk, stand or sit because his large joints and his spine were either ankylosed or very rigid. Radiographs showed joint fusion from the third to the fifth cervical vertebrae, of both hips, of the left knee, and a bilateral osteonecrosis of the humeral head. There was no scintigraphic evidence for an active osteomyelitis (Tc-99m-MDP (methyldiphosphonate) bone scan, Tc-99m monoclonal antigranulocyte scan and Tc-99m sulphur colloid scan). To improve his mobility the right femoral head was resected in June 1997; 14 days later the left femoral head was resected. Four months after the resection of the right hip, a right uncemented total hip prosthesis was implanted on this side. One month later the same type of hip arthroplasty was performed on the left side. During the postoperative rehabilitation period the patient regained autonomy. We have found no previous reports of such severe and multiple joint complications in a single patient suffering from sickle cell anaemia.