COMPARISON OF ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR ILIAC CREST BONE GRAFTS IN TERMS OF HARVEST-SITE MORBIDITY AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES

Previous studies have demonstrated high complication rates after harvest of iliac crest bone grafts. This study was undertaken to compare the morbidity related to the harvest of anterior iliac crest bone graft with that related to the harvest of posterior iliac crest bone graft and to determine differences in functional outcome. M

The medical records of eighty-eight consecutive patients who had undergone a total of 108 iliac crest bone-grafting procedures for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis from 1991 to 1998 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic characteristics, the location of the harvest, the volume of bone graft that was harvested, the estimated blood loss, and postoperative complications were recorded. Fifty-eight patients completed a questionnaire pertaining to postoperative and residual pain, sensory disturbances, functional limitations, cosmetic appearance, and overall satisfaction with the bone-graft harvesting procedure. R