Chronic infected tibial nonunions with bone loss. Conventional techniques versus bone transport.

Twenty-five patients with infected nonunions of the tibia and segmental bone loss were treated by one of two methods: resection and bone transport, or conventional treatment using less extensive debridement, external fixation, bone grafting, and soft-tissue coverage. The two groups were comparable except for gender distribution. Each group experienced similar rates of healing; eradication of infection; treatment time; final angulation; number of complications; and total number of surgical procedures. However, the final limb-length discrepancy was significantly less in the bone transport group.