A NEW MODIFIED TECHNIQUE FOR HARVEST OF CALCANEAL BONE-GRAFTS IN SURGERY ON THE FOOT AND ANKLE

Reported sites for retrieval of cancellous bone for grafts include the iliac crest, greater trochanter, proximal tibia, and distal tibia, A new lateral technique for retrieval of cancellous bone from the calcan eus is evaluated through anatomic review, quantitative analysis, and r etrospective clinical assessment, Of 22 patients managed with this tec hnique over a 2-year period, 17 returned for an evaluation by question naire, physical examination, and radiographic follow-up at an average of 7 months after surgery (range, 4-16 months), Complaints/complicatio ns were minor: three had minor incisional symptoms, five had medial he el pain (3 caused by plantar fasciitis), and one had unchanged preoper ative heel pain secondary to clubfoot deformity, Compared with more ex tensive bone-grafting procedures, this procedure offers the advantages of bone harvested under local anesthesia using a readily accessible i psilateral extremity and producing minor complications.