The Reamer-Irrigator-Aspirator in Nonunion Surgery

The reamer-irrigator-aspirator (RIA) autograft provides large volumes of autogenous graft that exhibit excellent osteogenic, osteoinductive, and osteoconductive properties. These features, combined with the relative ease of graft harvest and low donor site morbidity when compared with the gold standard iliac crest bone graft (ICBG), have made RIA autograft a viable alternative to ICBG. Some suggest RIA autograft is superior to ICBG, particularly in the setting of large segmental bone defects managed with the induced membrane technique. Although significant complications such as fracture and cortical perforation have been reported, they are preventable if proper surgical strategy and tactics are used.