Bone transport over the nail vs Ilizarov method in the treatment of posttraumatic defects of the femur and tibia

Relevance. From the point of view of using the advantages of both external fixation and internal osteosynthesis, the method “Bone transport over the nail” (BTON) deserves attention. Intention: To compare the effectiveness of the BTON and Ilizarov method in the treatment of patients with post-traumatic defects of the long bones of the lower extremities. Methodology. We analyzed 24 BTON cases and 47 cases of defects replacement via the Ilizarov method. The analysis included patients with segmental defects of the tibia, femur and knee joint bone defects complicated by chronic osteomyelitis. Results and Discussion. The external fixation period in BTON group was 3 times less than in the comparison group, as was the external fixation index. In case of monolocal defect replacement, the external fixation period and external fixation index in the BTON group was 4 times less than in the Ilizarov defect replacement group. With bifocal replacement of the defect, the external fixation period was 2.5 times less, and the external fixation index was 2 times less. BTON interventions were associated with complications in 31 cases (129.2 %) vs 82 cases for the Ilizarov method (174.5 %). The most pronounced decrease (3 times) was noted for cases of transosseous elements inflammation. Conclusion. The “Bone transport over the nail” technique reduces the external fixation period by an average of 3 times. This facilitates management of the outpatient phase and reduces the number of complications, especially the pin-tract infection. Cable technique combined with an orthopedic hexapod allows bifocal replacement of extended defects of the distal femur and knee joint applying the apparatus only to the lower leg. Risks of jamming the transported bone fragments by the intramedullary nail are thus excluded. To avoid breaking the traction cable, only designated devices should be used.