Lower Extremity Reconstruction by Vascularized Bone Graft Transfer

Park, Byeong Mun; Hahn, Soo Bong; Shin, Sung Il

Abstract

Eleven cases of the free vascularized bone graft have been performed in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yonsei University Hospital during the period of 30.9 months from February 1981 to December 1985. Follow up ranges from 8 to 62 months. The indication for the procedure was reconstruction of extensive bony defect after acute trauma in 3 cases, osteomyelitis in 3 cases, chronic nonunion 3 cases, bone tumor in one case and congenital pseudoarthrosis in one case. The results were obtained as follows; 1. To reconstruct the lower extremity the vascularzed bone graft has much more advantages than the other conventional method and the technique may be very useful in the management of certain difficult reconstructive problem of the lower extremity. 2. In the defects of bone and skin, even infected, composite bone and soft tissue transfer can be filled by one stage operation and made the infection heal more rapidly. 3. In children the vacularized fibular graft was hypertrophied and similar to thickness of tibia.