Abstract
BackgroundThe treatment of large bone defects in lower limbs is a serious challenge for orthopedic surgeons and patients. The bone transport technique using the Ilizarov method has become the main treatment option for the reconstruction of bone defect. However, inevitable difficulties and complications related to bone transport technique have been reported by many studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and complications of bone transport technique using Ilizarov method in the treatment of bone defect of lower extremity.MethodsThe study was conducted on 282 patients who underwent bone transport procedures using Ilizarov method at our institution from January 2007 to June 2017. Patient’s demographic data, complications and clinical outcomes at minimum of 2 years follow-up were collected and retrospectively analyzed. All difficulties that related to bone transport were documented according to Paley’s classification. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov criteria (ASAMI) at last clinical visit.ResultsThere were 243 male and 39 females with a mean age of 40 years (range 18–65 years). The mean defect was 6.56 ± 2.15 cm, whereas single level transport in 221 cases and double level transport in 61 cases. There were 189 problems, 166 obstacles and 406 complications (257 minor and 149 major complications), and the average complication rate per patients consists of 0.91 minor and 0.53 major complications. The top five complications were pin-site infection (65.96%), axial deviation (40.78%), joint stiffness (23.76%), soft tissue incarceration (22.34%) and delayed union of the docking site (13.48%).The ASAMI bony result was excellent in 233 patients, good in 32, fair in 5 and poor in 12. The ASAMI functional result was excellent in 136 patients, good in 88, fair in 47, poor in 11.ConclusionBone transport is a reliable method for reconstruction of bone defects in the femur and tibia. Awareness of predictable complications is beneficial to prevent or early detection of the expected complication which can improve the risk-benefit balance.
Highlights
The treatment of large bone defects in lower limbs is a serious challenge for orthopedic surgeons and patients
The Ilizarov method is based on the biology of the bone and the ability of the surrounding soft tissues to regenerate under tension stress, so it become the main treatment option for the reconstruction of bone defect due to it is characterized by rapid, simple, effective and minimally invasive, which can preserve the biomechanical microenvironment needed for fracture healing [9, 11,12,13,14]
A total of 221 cases underwent single level bone transport procedure and 61 cases were treated by double level bone transport
Summary
The treatment of large bone defects in lower limbs is a serious challenge for orthopedic surgeons and patients. Inevitable difficulties and complications related to bone transport technique have been reported by many studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and complications of bone transport technique using Ilizarov method in the treatment of bone defect of lower extremity. The treatment of large bone defects caused by trauma, developmental deformities, resection of tumor or osteomyelitis in lower limbs is a serious challenge for orthopedic surgeons and patients [1, 2]. Inevitable difficulties and complications related to bone transport technique using the Ilizarov method have been reported by many studies [9, 13,14,15,16,17,18,19]. It is remaining a major concern to these complications which could affect on the clinical outcomes
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