The healing of canine vascularized segmental tibial osteotomies: the effect of retained endosteal circulation

Forty-eight pairs of canine tibial segmental osteotomies, 4 cm in length, were investigated to determine the progress of regeneration. The tibial segment was stripped of all soft tissue in one limb and the vascular pedicle was preserved in the contralateral limb. This allowed the healing of the tibial segments, vascular versus nonvascular, to be compared using sequential blood flow and roentgenographic and angiographic data. The blood flow to the vascular bone segment quadrupled at three weeks and then gradually decreased to 1.5 times baseline at one year