ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2020
Treatment options for infected bone defects in the lower extremities: free vascularized fibular graft or Ilizarov bone transport?
Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Tibial bone transport using external fixation in adults: a systematic review.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Ankle arthrodesis following bone transport as a definitive limb salvage strategy after multiple failed microsurgical reconstructions for infected tibial pilon fracture nonunion: a case report.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- [Treatment of bony defects in femur and tibia : Established and new concepts].Unfallchirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- Therapeutic effect of modified iliac bone graft combined with antibiotic bone cement on lower limb bone infection complicated with large segment bone defect: An Observational Study.African health sciences · 2025Observational
- Cable-asisted bone transport versus circular external fixators-asisted bone transport in the management of bone defects of the Tibia: clinical and imaging results.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Comparison of orthofix external fixator combined with vascularized fibula graft versus single segmental femoral lengthening for treating femoral defects ≥ 6 cm: a retrospective study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- Clinical Outcomes of Ilizarov Bone Transport for Distal Tibial Defects in Refractory Osteomyelitis: A Retrospective Study.Therapeutics and clinical risk management · 2025Article
- Ilizarov External Fixator Versus Orthofix LRS in Management of Femoral Osteomyelitis: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.Indian journal of orthopaedics · 2024Article
- Youthful small extracellular vesicles restore the function and reparative capacity of inflammatory-impaired periodontal ligament stem cells via delivering protein biglycan for bone regeneration.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2024Article
- Tibial bone loss.OTA international : the open access journal of orthopaedic trauma · 2024Review
- Trifocal versus Pentafocal bone transport in segmental tibial defects: a matched comparative analysis for posttraumatic osteomyelitis treatment.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Comparative analysis of free vascularized fibula grafting and Ilizarov bone transport in management of segmental long bone defect of the lower limb: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedics · 2024Review
- Free iliac crest grafting technology for the management of critical-sized tibial bone defect.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Advances in the Application of Bone Transport Techniques in the Treatment of Bone Nonunion and Bone Defects.Orthopaedic surgery · 2023Review
- Self-promoted electroactive biomimetic mineralized scaffolds for bacteria-infected bone regeneration.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Characterization of the Masquelet Induced Membrane Technique in a Murine Segmental Bone Defect Model.Revista brasileira de ortopedia · 2023Article
- Reconstruction of a Severe Open Tibiofibular Fracture using an Ipsilateral Vascularized Fractured Fibula with a Thoracodorsal Artery Perforator Free Flap.Archives of plastic surgery · 2023Article
- The use of 3D printing technology in limb reconstruction. Inspirations and challenges.Trauma case reports · 2023Article
- Proximal versus distal bone transport for the management of large segmental tibial defect: a clinical case series.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Evolution and Development of Ilizarov Technique in the Treatment of Infected Long Bone Nonunion with or without Bone Defects.Orthopaedic surgery · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThe objective was to explore the relative indications of free vascularized fibular graft (FVFG) and Ilizarov bone transport (IBT) in the treatment of infected bone defects of lower extremities via comparative analysis on the clinical characteristics and efficacies.
methodsThe clinical data of 66 cases with post-traumatic infected bone defects of the lower extremities who underwent FVFG (n = 23) or IBT (n = 43) from July 2014 to June 2018 were retrieved and retrospectively analyzed. Clinical characteristics, operation time, and intraoperative blood loss were statistically compared between two groups. Specifically, the clinical efficacies of two methods were statistically evaluated according to the external fixation time/index, recurrence rate of deep infection, incidence of complications, the times of reoperation, and final functional score of the affected extremities.
resultsGender, age, cause of injury, Gustilo grade of initial injury, proportion of complicated injuries in other parts of the affected extremities, and numbers of femoral/tibial defect cases did not differ significantly between treatment groups, while infection site distribution after debridement (shaft/metaphysis) differed moderately, with metaphysis infection little more frequent in the FVFG group (P = 0.068). Femoral/tibial defect length was longer in the FVFG group (9.96 ± 2.27 vs. 8.74 ± 2.52 cm, P = 0.014). More patients in the FVFG group presented with moderate or complex wounds with soft-tissue defects. FVFG treatment required a longer surgical time (6.60 ± 1.34 vs. 3.12 ± 0.99 h) and resulted in greater intraoperative blood loss (873.91 ± 183.94 vs. 386.08 ± 131.98 ml; both P < 0.05) than the IBT group, while average follow-up time, recurrence rate of postoperative osteomyelitis, degree of bony union, and final functional scores did not differ between treatment groups. However, FVFG required a shorter external fixation time (7.04 ± 1.72 vs. 13.16 ± 2.92 months), yielded a lower external fixation index (0.73 ± 0.28 vs. 1.55 ± 0.28), and resulted in a lower incidence of postoperative complications (0.87 ± 0.76 vs. 2.21±1.78, times/case, P < 0.05). The times of reoperation in the two groups did not differ (0.78 ± 0.60 vs. 0.98 ± 0.99 times/case, P = 0.615).
conclusionBoth FVFG and IBT are effective methods for repairing and reconstructing infected bone defects of the lower extremities, with unique advantages and limitations. Generally, FVFG is recommended for patients with soft tissue defects, bone defects adjacent to joints, large bone defects (particularly monocortical defects), and those who can tolerate microsurgery.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.