Segment Transport with Ilizarov that Causes Spontaneous Healing of Gap at Docking Site in Long Bones, a Case Series and Review of Literature |Biomedgrid

Healing of bone is dependent on multiple factors but the most common one is when the ends are in fully contact, and the fracture is close. This ideal situation does not occur when there is an open fracture due to motor vehicle accident or firearm injuries. The management of such types of fractures is always challenging for the orthopedic surgeons [1]. While managing open fracture the orthopedic surgeon does wound excision and sometime remove the dead bone from fracture ends that leads to formation of gap at fracture site. Theoretically the gap may not heal without intervention [2]. The surgical intervention for filling the gap may either be cancellous bone graft, strut graft, cortical graft, intramembranous technique, with segment transport or shortening of the bone [3,4] For large gap, cortical graft, like fibular graft, or segment transport are widely used procedures which are technical demanding and time-consuming procedures [5]. Lazaro has the advantage of eradicating the infection while at the same time to fill the gap with segment transport. Segment transport may be bifocal, trifocal or tetra focal depending on the condition of the bone and size of the gap [6]. This case series of three patients have unique bone healing at the fracture site while transporting segment and the gape was ultimate filled without any intervention. All the cases have fracture due to trauma and were initially fixed internally and later developed infection. All patients have no head injury at initial impact.