Bone Transport
Bone transport is a technique that allows the Orthopedic Surgeon to regenerate bony tissue within the patient’s extremity. This regeneration is typically used to fill a gap of missing bone due to trauma or infection. The method is particularly useful in cases of:
- Infected Nonunions
- Segmental Defects (large areas of missing bone)
- Chronic Bone Infections
In order to perform a bone transport, the Ilizarov fixator is applied to the extremity and the bone is broken between rings using a variety of specialized techniques
The controlled breaking of the bone is known as an “osteotomy” or “corticotomy”.
After waiting about a week, bone transport begins at a rate of ¾ to 1 millimeter per day. Slow transport of one or more bone segments is accomplished by progressively moving a segment or segments of bone from one position to another (by distracting the ring connectors). Bone forms in the distraction site by a process known as distraction osteogenesis and the transport segment moves to fill the bone defect.
A variety of bone transport methods are available including:
