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

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.50-56
• /
• 2005

There are limited treatment options in the reconstruction of the very large defect in the metaphyseal portion of distal femur and proximal tibia. Fibula is one of the most popular donor of the long bone reconstruction in reconstructive microsurgical field. It has many advantages such as very strong strut tubular bone, very reliable vascular anatomy with large vascular diameter and long pedicle. There are limited donor site problems such as transient peroneal nerve dysfunction. In those situations with 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 transferred. We performed 7 cases of "doule barrel" fibular transplantation on the metaphyseal portion of distal femur and proximal tibial large defects in which it is very difficult to fill the bony gap with conventional bone graft or callotasis methods. It takes averaged 8.3 months since that procedure to obtain bony union. After solid union of the transferred double barrelled fibular graft. There were no stress fracture in our series. So we can propose double barrel fibular graft is useful method in those cases with very large bone defect on the metaphysis of large long bone.