• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2003

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to investigate an occurrence of valgus deformity of ankle joint after vascularized fibular graft in children. Materials and Methods : Four children under 15 years who were surgically treated with vascularized fibular graft were studied. The age of the patients was from 4 years to 13 years, the follow-up period was from 24 months to 108 months. The causes of vascularized fibular graft were open fracture (1 case), congenital psuedarthrosis (2 cases), hypoplastic ulna (1 case). The tibiofibular synostosis was done in 3 cases and not in 1 case. We measured the tibiotalar angle and bimalleolar angle at immediately postoperative and final radiography, and checked ankle motion, pain, and instability of ankle joint. Results : The A-P mortise angle was not different between initial and final radiography in all cases. The intermalleolar angle increased in all cases at the final radiography. There were no pain, instability and limitation of ankle motion. Conclusion: We consider the tibiofibular synostosis can prevent from ankle valgus deformity after vascularized fibular graft in children.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.6-13
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• 2007

Purpose: To report the clinical results of the vascularized fibular graft in the treatment of intractable infected nonunion of femur. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 3 patients who were performed vascularized fibular graft in treated for intractable infected nonunion of femur. They had received an average of 5.6 times($4{\sim}8\;times$) surgical treatment at different hospitals. 1 case was of a infected nonunion in a fracture treated with internal fixation, the fracture having occurred after resection of a malignant tumor and transplantation of pasteurized autologous bone. 2 cases occurred after internal fixation in closed fractures. Surgical treatment was performed an average of 4 times($3{\sim}5\;times$) at our hospital and in all of the cases debridement of necrotic tissue and sequestrectomy. And vascularized fibular graft was performed. In all cases unilateral external fixation devices were used, of these, 1 case was changed into internal fixation. The final conclusion was made by assessment of functional outcomes and complications according to the standards of Paley. Results: As a result, in all of the cases bone union was achieved, and in the last follow up the functional results were excellent in 2 cases and good in 1 case. There were not presented leg length discrepancy of more than 2 cm, and further loss of knee joint motion. After previous treatment, average 23.3 months($16{\sim}30\;months$) was taken to eliminate infection and achieve complete bone union via vascularized fibular graft in our hospital. Conclusion: In treatment of intractable infected nonunion of femur, fairly good results can be expected after firm fixation, through debridement and vascularized fibular graft.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.171-180
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• 1995

Recently vascularized fibular transfer has been used in the treatment of bone tumor that are more than six centimeter in length. With refinements in microsurgical techniques and understanding of the biological and biomechanical characteristics of vascularized bone graft, the success rate of this procedure was increased. Fifteen bone tumor patients, sixteen cases seen from Apr. 1979 to Jun. 1995 were managed by means of vascularized bone graft at Kyung Hee University Hospital. Ten cases were done intercalary graft and the others were done osteoarticular graft. the ratio of male and female was 6 : 9, and mean age was 20.4 years old at operation. Mean follow up period was 5 years 4 months(range 17 months to 16 years 2 months) and mean graft length was 13.8cm. Duration for union was 5.3 months(range 3 months to 1 year) and over-all rate of union at the last follow up examination was 93.8%. Sufficient hypertrophy of grafted bone was obtained in all cases at the time of last follow up as compared to initial size of grafted bone. Several complications were found such as stress fractures, recurrence. Vascularized fibular transfer for the treatment of bone tumor is a valuable procedure in appropriately selected patients.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 1992

The management of giant cell tumor involving juxta-articular portion has always been a difficult problem. In certain some giant cell tumors with bony destruction, a wide segmental resection may be needed for preventing to recur. But a main problem is preserving of bony continuity in bony defect as well as preservation of joint function. The traditional bone grafts have high incidence in recurrence rate, delayed union, bony resorption, stress fracture despite long immobilization and stiffness of adjuscent joint. We have attemped to overcome these problems by using a microvascular technique to transfer the fibula with peroneal vascular pedicle as a living bone graft. From Apr. 1984 to Nov. 1990, we performed the reconstruction of wide bone defect after segmental resection of giant cell tumor in 4 cases, using Vascularized Fibular Graft, which occur at the distal radius in 3 cases and at the proximal tibia in 1 case. An average follow-up was 2 years 8 months, average bone defect after wide segmental resection of lesion was 11.4cm. These all cases revealed good bony union in average 6.5months, and we got the wide range of motion of adjacent joint without recurrence and serious complications.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 1998

Free vascularized fibular is the most usuful bony donor of the long bone reconstruction in reconstructive microsurgical field. It has many benifits such as very strong strut tubular bone, very reliable vascular anatomy with large vascular diameter with long pedicle, minimal donor site morbity too. In that situations of the huge long bone defects in distal femur or proximal tibia, the defective bony shape and strength of the transplanted fibular bone is not enough if only one strut of the fibula is transfered. The bony circulation of the fibula has two ways, one from nutrient artery via peroneal artery through nutrient foramen which makes endosteal arterial network inside of the fibula, another way is periosteal network through outside encircling vascular network of the bone which distributed in muscle sleeves of the fibular diaphysis. Authors modified free vascularized fibular bone graft with transverse osteotomy is made from the anterolateral aspect of the fibular shaft just distal to entry of the nutrient artery. This produces two vascularized bone struts that may be folded pararell to each other but that remain connected by the periosteum and muscle cuff surrounding the peroneal artery and veins. The proximal strut is vascularized by both a periosteal and endosteal blood supply, whereas the distal strut is vascularized by a periosteal blood supply alone. This procedure can call "doule barrel" free vascularized fibular graft. We performed 7 cases of doule barrel fashined fibular transplantation on distal femur and proximal tibial large defects. Average bone union time takes 7 months from that procedure. There were no significant bone union time differences between both proximal and distal struts. After solid union of the transfered double barrel fibular graft, there were no stress fracture in our series. We can propose double barrel free vascualized fibular graft is usuful method in that cases with very large bone defect on large long bones especially metaphyseal defects.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.96-105
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• 2002

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the oncologic results and functional outcomes of limb salvage surgery performed in patients of primary bone tumors of the shoulder girdle. Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine patients who underwent limb sparing resection for shoulder girdle neoplasm between 1982 and 2001 were analyzed. Follow up periods averaged 7 years and 1 month. Mean age of the patients was 35 (11~71) years. There were 14 males and 15 females. Primary malignant bone tumors of shoulder girdle (proximal humerus 21, scapula 3, both 1) were 23 cases; osteosarcomas 7, chondrosarcoma 14, parosteal osteosarcoma 1, hemangioendothelioma 1, and giant cell tumor of proximal humerus were 6 cases. Limb salvage surgery was performed by curettage and cementing in 7 patients, by cement molding arthroplasty in 10 patients, and by tumor prosthesis in 7 patients, by other method such as resection only, bone graft, arthrodesis in 5 patients. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional rating system was used to assess functional outcomes. Results: One osteosarcoma and 2 chondrosarcoma patients died, and the survival of the salvaged limb was 88.6% at the final follow-up. There were 6 local recurrences, 2 lung metastases, 2 local recurrences and lung metastases. The functional outcome was 80%. There was statistically significant difference of functional results among the patients treated by cement filling (86%), cement molding arthroplasty and IM nailing (71%), and tumor prosthesis (83%). (p=0.034) There were three complications including 1 radial nerve palsy and 1 axillary nerve palsy, and 1 wound infection. Dislodgement of vascularized fibular graft in one patient was treated by internal fixation. Conclusion: Limb salvage surgery seems to be useful method to treat bone tumors of the shoulder girdle.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2006

Twelve cases in eleven patients with segmental bone defects were treated with contralateral fibula free flap and ipsilateral island fibula flap in an antegrade, retrograde or bidirectional flow fashion. Five cases were managed with free flaps and seven were with ipsilateral fibula island transfer. Among seven cases, antegrade fashion was three, retrograde was three, and bidirectional was one. All patients were related with open tibial fractures and its sequelae except one who had open foot bone fracture. According to Gustilo's classification, ten patients were type IIIb and one was type IIIc. Basically, antegrade-flow flaps based on the peroneal vessels as in the conventional free flap were used for the proximal or middle one-third tibial defects. On the contrary, retrograde-flow flaps based on the communicating branch between the peroneal and posterior tibial vessels were used for the middle or distal one-third of the tibia. Bidirection-flow flap based on intact peroneal vessels were used for the middle portion of the tibia. The patients who have undergone ipsilateral fibula island flap had one of the following problems: a previously failed free flap, below-knee amputation of the opposite leg because of open tibial fracture, refusal to use the contralateral sound leg, or poor general condition to stand a lengthy operation. Six of the patients who have got ipsilateral fibula island flap also had an associated fibula fracture on the same leg, which was ultimately used as one of the osteotomy sites. The follow-up period was from 1 to 10 years. Two cases of free flap were failed: one patient had below-knee amputation and the other patient had ipsilateral fibula transfer. Other cases were successful and excellent hypertophy of the transferred fibula was achieved. Time to bone union ranged from 4 to 11 months. Time to full weight bearing was from 5 to 13 months after surgery. All of the transferred fibulas showed hypertrophy after weight bearing. In one case, stress fracture was developed during ambulation, which was healed conservatively. Nonunion occurred in two cases, which were treated with a long leg cast and cancellous bone graft, respectively. Length discrepancy of the legs was noted. The limb was shorter by an average 0.5 cm in three cases, longer by 1.1 cm in one case. In the case of island fibula transfer, limited arc of rotation was not a problem. Other disabling complications were not seen. We believe that these diverse modalities using a vascularized fibula will make us more comfortable to handle major bone defects.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.154-163
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• 1995

With the development of anticancer chemotherapy and improved radiographic imaging studies, limb salvage operation became possible in the treatment of malignant and aggressive benign tumors. High grade sarcomas of the shoulder or the upper extremity can be surgically treated with a forequarter amputation, shoulder disarticulation or limb salvage surgery such as Tikhoff-Linberg procedure, segmental resection and replacement with endoprosthesis, segmental resection and replantation, or segmental resection and free vascularized bone graft. Among them the limb salvage surgery showed not only preservation of the remained upper extremity but also the excellent functional results. When comparing amputation and limb salvage operation while performing anticancer chemotherapy in both cases, 5 year survival rate, local recurrence, and distant metastasis did not show much difference. We studied 13 cases of limb salvage for the malignant and aggressive benign bone tumor of the upper extremity from March 1986 to December 1993 at Severance hospital. The summarized results were as follows. 1. There were 21 cases of malignant bone tumors and 5 cases of benign aggressive ones. 2. Of the 26 cases of malignant and benign aggressive bone tumors, limb salvage procedures such as Tikhoff-Linberg operation(8 cases), endoprosthetic replacement(2 cases), segmental resection and replantation(2 cases), and segmental resection and free vascularized fibular graft(l case) were done in 13 cases. 3. In 13 patient on whom the limb salvage procedure was performed, there were 3 osteosarcomas, 4 chondrosarcomas, 3 giant cell tumors, 1 Ewing's sarcoma, 1 leiomyosarcoma and 1 chondroblastoma. 4. In 13 patients, there was no local recurrence nor distant metastasis except one who had a segmental resection of the entire humerus part including glenoid and then postoperative anticancer chemotherapy for the treatment of the Ewing's sarcoma of the entire shaft of the humerus with pathological fracture. Local recurrence occurred 2 years and 6 months postoperatively in this Ewing's sarcoma patient, so forequarter amputation was performed and the irradiation and the anticancer chemontherapy were performed, but multiple bony metastasis developed and died of the disease 22 months after local recurrence. 5. The patients were followed-up for I year to 7 years and 5 months(average 4 years 5 months). 6. In 8 cases in which Tikhoff-Linberg procedure was performed, the function of the hand was almost normal. 7. Segmental resection and endoprosthetic replacement was performed in 2 cases, and the function of the remained upper extremity was good with no evidence of aseptic loosening or nerve palsy. 8. In 1 case of segmental resection and free vascularized fibular graft for the patient of the chon drosarcoma in the humerus, the function of the shoulder, elbow and hand was nearly normal. 9. In I case of leiomyosarcoma which involved both forearm muscles and bone near wrist joint, segmental resection and replantation was performed, and the patient has useful hand function.