title: Reconstruction of a massive femoral bone defect using a double-barreled free vascularized fibular bone graft after wide resection of femoral chondrosarcoma.
abstract: Salvaging the limb after malignant bone tumor ablation is a tough challenge for a reconstructive surgeon confronting such extensive bone defects. A 40-year-old male without any underlying disease was incidentally diagnosed with a chondrosarcoma over his left femoral bone. An orthopedic surgeon did a wide resection of the malignant bone tumor, leaving a massive bone defect about 11.3 cm in length. A double-barreled free vascularized fibular bone was designed to reconstruct the femoral bone defect. The maximal fibular bone graft harvested was 19 cm long; after the osteotomy, one barrel was 11 cm and the other was 8 cm. An iliac crest cancellous bone graft was harvested to fill the residual space. The pathology report showed a grade 1 well-differentiated conventional chondrosarcoma, and further adjuvant therapy was not suggested. At a 3-year follow-up, plain radiography showed a good bony union of the graft, and the patient could easily tolerate daily activity. A vascularized double-barreled fibular graft is an ideal option for reconstructing a massive defect in weight-bearing bone: it provides not only sufficient mechanical strength but also good union for early rehabilitation. We describe the long-term results after reconstruction and provide a literature review of long-bone chondrosarcoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Hui
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: I-Ming
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Jou
authors.forename: Shyh-Jou
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shieh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D005269:Femur / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D005360:Fibula / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures