ELECTRONIC CONTROLLED SEGMENTAL BONE TRANSPORT

The segmental bone transport allows the reconstruction of large scale bone defects resulting after a redical debridement due to an infection or after trauma. We use the Ilizarov fixator for the segmental transport. The part of the bone that has to be moved through the defect is pulled by a lateral and a medial towing rope. To determine continuously the forces of tension in the wires and to detect early complications of the bone transport we implanted in each wire a load cell with a resistance strain gauge. The knowledge of the resulting forces leads to the development of an automatic forced controlled bone transport.Since 09/2004 we have measured the forces of tension in the wires in 77 patients undergoing a segmental bone transport due to a long-extending osteomyelitis. The average age was 47,2 (6 to 68). In 12 patients we had to treat a bone defect of the thigh (average size of the defect 12,5 cm), in 55 patients 56 large scale bone defects of the lower leg (average size of the defect: 8,6 cm ranging fr...