Case report: histologic study of a human epiphyseal transplant at 3 years after implantation

A 5-year-old boy underwent surgical excision of a Ewing's sarcoma of the proximal femur. Reconstruction was performed using an ipsilateral vascularized epiphyseal transplant and a femoral allograft. Local recurrence of the tumor necessitated hip disarticulation 3 years after the initial procedure. We then performed a histologic analysis of the transplant. The growth plate was still normal in structure but had richly vascularized hyperplastic layers. We observed bridging between the articular cartilage and the growth plate.