Tips of the trade #23. Simplified iliac crest cancellous grafting

When fractures require small amounts of cancellous bone graft for healing but do not permit local bone harvesting, a simple percutaneous method may be used to obtain the graft from iliac crest. Using a winged iliac crest trephine (or any iliac crest biopsy trocar), the technique described is effective and markedly decreases morbidity.