[Treatment of the tibial bone defects by traumatic sequels with the Ilizarov method in children].

INTRODUCTION

Tibial bone defects are usually results of: high energy trauma, infections, bone tumors, and are associated to soft tissue lesion. The most successful way to fill bone defects is the use of autologous bone grafting with adequate blood supply and soft tissue coverage.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical and functional outcome of post-traumatic bone defects treated with vascularized bone allograft, fibular tibialization, and bone transport with Ilizarov method.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Retrospective longitudinal study with 12 patients, from October 2000 to November 2005, with a 33.6 months follow up average.

RESULTS

Seven male and five female, all of them treated previously in other institutions were included in the study. We found excellent clinical and functional results in five patients, good results in five and bad in two, with an average of surgical procedures of three.

COMPLICATIONS: Pseudoarthrosis, fibular fusion and non union.

DISCUSSION: Postraumatic bone defects can be treated successfully using different techniques: Vascularized bone graft, tibialization, end bone transport with Ilizarov method. Bone transport allows filling of bone defect with adequate soft tissue coverage and length discrepancy management.

CONCLUSIONS

These choices of treatment are different solutions with post-traumatic bone defects in patients candidate for amputation.