COMPOSITE BONE-GRAFTING AND PLATE FIXATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF NONUNIONS OF THE FOREARM WITH SEGMENTAL BONE LOSS - A REPORT OF 8 CASES

Between June 1986 and December 1991, eight aseptic isolated severe for earm segmental bone losses were treated. The average age of the patien ts was 26 years. Three cases involved the radius and five the ulna. Th e average time between the onset of trauma and the final surgical inte rvention was 9 months. The surgical technique consisted of complete re moval of necrotic bone, filling of the bone defect with an intercalary autogenous bone graft, and stable internal fixation, which required c ombining a plate and an opposite cortical bone allograft. The average bone loss length after freshening the bone ends was 7 cm (range 4-11). The average follow-up was 48 months (range 24-80). In all eight cases union and recovery of forearm function was achieved. The proposed sur gical technique proved to be effective in obtaining results with no ma jor complications.