Simultaneous Treatment of Tibial Bone and Soft-tissue Defects With the Ilizarov Method

To evaluate the potential for limb salvage using the Ilizarov method to simultaneously treat bone and soft-tissue defects of the leg without flap coverage. Retrospective study. Level I trauma centers at 4 academic university medical centers. Twenty-five patients with bone and soft-tissue defects associated with tibial fractures and nonunions. The average soft-tissue and bone defect after debridement was 10.1 (range, 2-25) cm and 6 (range, 2-14) cm respectively. Patients were not candidates for flap coverage and the treatment was a preamputation limb salvage undertaking in all cases. Ilizarov and Taylor Spatial Frames used to gradually close the bone and soft-tissue defects simultaneously by using monofocal shortening or bifocal or trifocal bone transport. Bone union, soft-tissue closure, resolution or prevention of infection, restoration of leg length equality, alignment, limb salvage.