Bone graft from the distal medial tibia in foot and ankle surgery.

UNLABELLED: Autogenous bone graft is the ideal substrate for primary and revisional foot and ankle surgery. The distal medial tibia is an easily accessible site that provides both cancellous and corticocancellous autograft. Thirty cases of distal tibial bone graft with a minimum follow-up of 1 year are presented. There was an 86% union rate, and there were no stress fractures, persistent pain, or reported nerve injuries at the donor site. An efficient and versatile technique for harvesting both cancellous bone graft and corticocancellous graft is described. The use of distal tibial bone graft eliminates the need for a second surgeon and more lengthy harvest procedure and offers sufficient autograft material for foot and ankle applications with a low rate of complications.

LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, Level IV.