Free Fibular Graft to the Segmental Dedect of Long Bone

Chung, Yung Khee; Yoo, Jung Han; Woo, Yong Han

Abstract

Since the documentation of bone graft techniques by Walther in 1820, it has been used widely for the treatment of nonunion, and bone defect due to osteomyelitis, neoplasm, or trauma, and ofr arthrodesis. But many problems are still remained in the treatment of the extensive bone defect. Therefore, varous techniques have evolved to conventional autogenous graft, fresh allograft bone trandsplantation, or free vascularized bone graft. According to Dell P.C. et al, the vascularized grafts were transiently stronger than the conventional nonvascularized ones at six weeks postoperatively because of the differences in the repari mechanisms but thereafter there were no appreciable differences. Therefore, except an inadequate soft tissue bed such as in a chronically infected nonunion, a congenital pseudarthosis, and a previously irradiated or heavily scrred soft tissue bed, we expect good result with conventional nonvascularized fibular graft when there is a segmental bone defect less than 12cm, and/or inadequate fascilities for the microvascular surgery. The four patients with the segmental defect of long bone were treated with conventional nonvascularized fibular graft at Kang Nam Sacred Heart Hospital between July 1980 and October 1988, and are reported with reviews of literatures.