A new modified technique for harvest of calcaneal bone grafts in surgery on the foot and ankle.

Reported sites for retrieval of cancellous bone for grafts include the iliac crest, greater trochanter, proximal tibia, and distal tibia. A new lateral technique for retrieval of cancellous bone from the calcaneus is evaluated through anatomic review, quantitative analysis, and retrospective clinical assessment. Of 22 patients managed with this technique over a 2-year period, 17 returned for an evaluation by questionnaire, physical examination, and radiographic follow-up at an average of 7 months after surgery (range, 4-16 months). Complaints/complications were minor: three had minor incisional symptoms, five had medial heel pain (3 caused by plantar fasciitis), and one had unchanged preoperative heel pain secondary to clubfoot deformity. Compared with more extensive bone-grafting procedures, this procedure offers the advantages of bone harvested under local anesthesia using a readily accessible ipsilateral extremity and producing minor complications.