Donor-Site Morbidity of Vascularized Bone Flaps from the Distal Femur

What is it about?

When a segment of bone becomes unhealthy, due to injury, cancer, infection, as well as other reasons, it often must be removed and replaced. Bone replacement options are somewhat limited, especially when bringing healthy blood supply along with the replacement bone is important. A technique has been developed that uses bone flaps from the femur, and sometimes this procedure includes taking a small part of the knee joint as well. By reviewing all of the available reports on this technique, we have found that these procedures are safe for the leg donor site. The patients rarely experience limited knee function or long-term problems in that leg, but some patients do experience persistent discomfort or numbness in the knee area.

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