Category:

Hindfoot, Midfoot/Forefoot

Introduction/Purpose:

Persistent nonunions with large bone defects continue to represent a challenging problem for foot and ankle surgeons. Vascularized corticocancellous grafts have been well described for various applications and represent a comprehensive solution to these difficult nonunion cases. We describe four cases of nonunions with concomitant large bony defects treated with a vascularized medial femoral condyle (VMFC).

Methods:

We retrospectively identified four cases of VMFC flaps used for foot nonunions with large bone defects. Surgical indications included talonavicular nonunion with associated avascular necrosis of the navicular, talonavicular-cuneiform nonunion, navicular-cuneiform nonunion, and first metatarsophalangeal nonunion. All cases had large associated segmental bone defects. The average age at the time of surgery was 62-years-old. The average follow up was 2.6 years (1.5-5.0). One patient had a remote history of tobacco use. Another patient quit smoking pre-operatively and had normal nicotine metabolite levels at the time of surgery. There was one Type II diabetic.

Results:

Two patients underwent staged reconstruction with placement of an antibiotic cement spacer, but intra-operative cultures were negative. No patient had a previous infection. The average graft dimensions were 3 x 2.25 x 1.5 cm. After obtaining adequate compression, all grafts were secured with bridge locking plates. The average time to weight bearing was 14.5 weeks. All patients had knee pain post-operatively that resolved with time. Two patients required reoperation. In one patient, the VMFC graft did not adequately fill the defect requiring supplement allograft. The VMFC-allograft interface went on to nonunion requiring tricortical iliac crest bone grafting. Another patient developed a split-thickness skin graft (STSG) infection requiring debridement and repeat STSG. There were no VMFC graft failures, and all patients went on to successful union.

Conclusion:

Vascularized medial femoral condyle autografts are a technically demanding solution to difficult nonunion cases with significant associated bone loss of the foot.

Search results

Applications of the Vascularized Medial Femoral Condyle for Nonunion with Associated Bone Loss of the Foot: A Case Series