Treatment of distal tibial tumor with vascularized fibula reconstruction

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of vascularized fibula reconstruction in treatment of distal tibial malignant and invasive tumors. Methods Between March 2012 and January 2018, 11 patients with distal tibial malignant and invasive tumors were treated with vascularized fibula reconstruction. There were 7 males and 4 females with an average age of 20 years (range, 16-39 years). There were 8 cases of osteosarcoma, 2 cases of invasive giant cell tumor of bone, and 1 case of hemangioendothelioma. The tumors were rated as benign stage 3 in 2 cases and malignant stageⅠA in 1 case, stageⅡA in 4 cases, and stage ⅡB in 4 cases according to the Enneking staging. The disease duration was 1-6 months (mean, 2.7 months). The limb function was evaluated by Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score, and the distal and proximal union of the transplanted fibula and the diameter of the fibula were examined by imaging. Results All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 16-85 months (mean, 41 months). No tumor recurrence or metastasis occurred during the follow-up. The proximal and distal grafts in the 10 cases showed osseous healing, and the healing time was 7-12 months (mean, 10.1 months) at proximal end and 7-12 months (mean, 9.3 months) at distal end. In 1 case, the proximal end did not heal at 19 months, while the distal end healed at 13 months; proximal bone grafting was performed, and the proximal end healed. Among the 4 patients with distal screw fixation, 2 had peri-internal fixation fractures after graft healing, but no skin necrosis or infection occurred. All the 7 patients with distal steel plate fixation had no peri-internal fixation fracture, but 1 patient developed anterior tibial skin necrosis. At 12 months after operation, the diameter of fibula increased 1-5 mm (mean, 2.4 mm) by compared with that before operation. The MSTS score was 17-27 (mean, 22.8). Conclusion Reconstruction of ankle joint with vascularized fibula can achieve satisfactory functional results, which is one of the feasible and worthy methods for the distal tibial malignant and invasive tumors.