Poster 2: Joint and Clinical Studies

28

Is Gritti-Stokes Amputation Functional For Active Adults? A Case Series

Samantha J Stauffer, MSOP, CPO; J. Megan Sions, PT, DPT, PhD; John R Horne, Cped, CPO (Independence Prosthetics-Orthotics, Inc)

University of Delaware

The Gritti-Stokes amputation (GSA), in which the femur is resected at the level of the epicondyle and the patella is sutured to the distal end, is traditionally performed on older adults who would not be prosthetic candidates in order to give them a limb functional for transfers. However, the procedure may also yield a highly functional limb for a prosthesis due to provision of a long lever arm with distal weightbearing capacity without the problematic bulbous end of a traditional knee disarticulation procedure. The purpose of this study is to report on functional outcomes of the surgery among 3 young adults who are < 1 year post-GSA. All individuals underwent standardized clinical assessment involving self-report and performance-based outcome measures. A review of their prosthetic medical charts yielded timeline to prosthetic fitting and current componentry. Two of the three participants were fit with their preparatory prosthesis within 90 days of initial amputation. Self-report mobility indicated functional mobility at the 70th percentile or above for adults with lower-limb loss. During physical performance testing, all participants performed at the K3 or K4 functional level. Results indicate GSA may be an appropriate surgical technique for young adults with traumatic amputations.

Research Area: Rehabilitation & Treatment