Treatment of chronic osteomyelitis by free grafts of cancellous autologous bone tissue. A preliminary report.

Chronic osteomyelitis was treated by free grafts of autologous bone tissue in 13 consecutive patients aged 18 to 81 to years. In all patients the osteomyelitis was located in the leg, and Staphylococcus aureus was the causative organism. Seven had an infected non-union. The duration of the osteomyelitis varied from less than 1 year to 75 years. Surgical debridement and grafting of cancellous and cortical cancellous bone were performed at the one operation. The osteomyelitis healed after a single operation in all patients but one, who needed three operations before the infection was eradicated. In one patient a second bone grafting operation was necessary before weight-bearing could be allowed. Although the number of patients is small, the results agree well with larger series published recently. Grafting of autologous bone tissue seems to be a very valuable method of treatment for chronic osteomyelitis.