Skeletal defects. A comparison of bone grafting and bone transport for segmental skeletal defects.

To evaluate two different methods of managing segmental skeletal defects, 15 patients treated with the open bone graft (Papineau) technique were compared with 17 patients who had intercalary bone transport (Ilizarov) management. The treatment time was identical for both groups: 1.9 months in fixation for each centimeter of defect reconstructed. Both techniques shared several fixator-associated problems such as implant site sepsis and patient discomfort. Each method of treatment, however, had its own unique problems. For the bone grafted group, limited graft availability, donor site morbidity (three patients), and graft fractures (two patients) occurred. For the bone transport group, the main problems were failure of the docking site to unite without a supplementary graft (seven patients) and joint contractures (seven patients). A new synthesis of both techniques is described.