Acta Orthop Belg
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The reconstruction of large bone defects in the infectious environment is still a big challenge for limb salvage because of disturbance in bacterial flora, bacterial resistance and limitation of blood supply at scarred tissue. This retrospective study was to evaluate long-term outcomes in patients who were performed vascularized fibular transfers for treatment of large bone defects in the infectious environment. The review included 26 patients with an average age of 27 years old. ⋯ Three patients had partial necrosis of skin paddle. Three patients, who were stabilized by screw and external fixator, had an infection at the distal part of the fibular graft and pin tracts. 25 fibular grafts (96%) showed complete bone union. This review has showed that the vascularized fibular transfer can be effective for management of large segmental bone defects in the infectious environment.