A bout 80% of hemorrhages occur in the musculoskeletal system, while 20% take place in the central nervous system and other organ systems. The high percentage of musculoskeletal bleedings explains why hemophilia is an orthopedic condition of great interest to the orthopedic surgeon. This article describes the prevalence of hemophilia and management of the musculoskeletal manifestations of hemophilia.
An important clinical approach for managing patients with hemophilia is the avoidance of recurrent hemarthroses by means of continuous, intravenous hematological prophylaxis. Although, continuous prophylaxis can avoid the development of the orthopedic complications of hemophilia, many different surgical procedures such as arthrocentesis, radiosynoviorthesis, tendon lengthenings, alignment osteotomies, joint arthroplasties, removal of pseudotumors, and fixation of fractures are still…
