Treatment of post-traumatic tibial osteomyelitis using microsurgical flaps

Between 1994 and 1998, the authors treated 70 patients presenting with post-traumatic tibial osteomyelitis. Eighty-five percent were males, with a mean patient age of 32 years. The mean duration of the disease was 2 years. Fifty-one percent were of type IV in the Cierny-Mader classification. The mean follow-up period was 36 months. Case management was through thorough debridement, antibiotic therapy, and soft-tissue reconstruction using free flaps: latissimus dorsi (39.4 percent), scapular (28.2 percent), lateral arm (19.7 percent), and anterior serratus (12.7 percent). To evaluate the results, the control of infection and the quality of the soft tissue repaired were considered. The success rate was 90 percent. The authors conclude that their described method constitutes an effective treatment for post-traumatic tibial osteomyelitis.