Long-term follow-up on the use of vascularized fibular graft for the treatment of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia

BACKGROUND: Congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia (CPT) is one of the most difficult conditions to treat. METHODS: Five girls and 3 boys with CPT were treated by vascularized fibular grafting (VFG). The average age at VFG was 7.0 years (range: 1.9-11.5 years) with an average follow-up term of 11.7 years (range: 4.9-19.6 years). Five of the children had undergone multiple operations before VFG, while the other 3 had no such history. RESULTS: Bone consolidation was obtained in all cases after an average term of 6.6 months (range: 4-10 months); this was with the first VFG in 7 cases but with the second VFG in 1 case. Complication of stress fracture and ankle pain occurred in 1 and 3 cases, respectively, only in cases undergoing multiple operations. Leg-length discrepancy was more prominent in the patients with multiple previous operations (mean: 7.5 cm), than in the cases with no prior surgery (mean: 0.7 cm). CONCLUSION: The long-term results of VFG for CPT were excellent, especially in the cases, with no prior surgery. VFG should be considered as a primary treatment option for CPT.