Complications of irradiated allografts in orthopaedic tumor surgery

Massive structural allografts used for replacement of bone defects after removal of bone tumors have several complications, including fracture, infection, and nonunion. To decrease the rate of infection, irradiation of selected allografts before their implantation was performed. This study evaluated the complications in patients with these irradiated grafts. Twenty-four patients were identified who had received allografts from 1987 through 1991 that were irradiated before implantation. The dosage of radiation was between 10 kGy and 30 kGy. The mean length of followup of the patients was 5 years (range, 2-9 years). These grafts were compared with a control group of grafts that were not irradiated but were implanted during the same time and used for similar diagnostic problems with defects of similar size. The outcomes of the groups differed significantly only in the incidence of allograft fracture. These findings indicate that high-dose irradiation to bone allografts is associated with a higher rate of fracture than are similar reconstructions using nonirradiated allografts.