Osteoarticular allograft in surgery for high-grade malignant tumours of bone

W e assessed the results of 17 limb-salvage procedures using osteoarticular allografts after wide resection of high-grade malignant bone tumours.All patients received chemotherapy.At the five-year follow-up, three patients had died from metastases.The allografts survived for five years in only seven patients all of whom had good function, ranging from 73% to 90% of normal.The allografts were removed because of fracture in seven patients and infection in one, and in all of these a second limb-salvage procedure was undertaken.With such a low rate of survival of osteoarticular allografts, we believe that their use in the management of high-grade malignant bone tumours should, at best, be considered a temporary solution.