Massive distal femoral osteoarticular allografts after resection of bone tumors.

Records were reviewed for 96 patients who received distal femoral osteoarticular allografts to reconstruct femurs after wide resections of benign and malignant bone tumors. Thirteen of these were excluded from the study because of death or local recurrence. The mortality rate for all patients was 11%; for those with osteosarcomas it was 27%. The local recurrence rate was 3%. Eighty-three patients were subjected to further analysis. Their complications included fractures (14%), nonunions (12%), arthritis (10%), instability (7%), infections (6%), and resorption (6%). There was a significant difference in nonunion and infection rates between patients who received chemotherapy and those who did not. In the chemotherapy group, the infection rate was 13% versus 2% in the non-chemotherapy group. Nonunion rates were 23% versus 6% respectively. The differences in all other complication rates were not statistically significant. In patients not receiving chemotherapy (n = 53), final results were good or excellent in 70%, fair in 26%, and poor in 4%. In patients receiving chemotherapy (n = 30), final results were good or excellent in 53%, fair in 37%, and poor in 10%.