Preservation of Independent Ambulation 14 Years after Biological Knee Reconstruction: A Case Report

Long-term follow-up showed that biological joint reconstruction, which had been performed by the medical resources at that time, has been reasonable. We report a 26-year-old woman who underwent biological joint reconstruction for a destroyed knee caused by previous treatment for a giant cell tumor of her proximal tibia in 1998. We reconstructed her knee with realignment, including acute shortening and distraction osteogenesis with an Ilizarov external fixator. At follow-up, she could ambulate without pain, and she could run and climb mountains. Magnetic resonance imaging in 2011 showed that the healed tissue had almost the same property as articular cartilage, although it was irregular and thinner. The reconstruction helped preserve her knee function for at least 14 years. Our case shows that some unintentional overlaps such as cell recruitment and the mechanical environment can lead to a good clinical outcome for 14 years.