Anti-infective reconstituted bone xenograft in one-stage treatment of posttraumatic osteomyelitis of the femur

Objective To study the efficacy of anti-infective reconstituted bone xenograft (ARBX) in one-stage treatment of posttraumatie osteomyelitis of the femur. Methods From September 2001 to September 2008, 24 cases of posttraumatic osteomyelitis of the femur were treated with simultaneous one-stage grafting of ARBX after debridement. A retrospective study was done for the 18 cases of them who had been followed up for an average of 23 ( 10 to 63) months. Results In 3 cases, the infection was out of control or recurred, while in the other 15 cases, the infection, nonunion and bony defects were cured without reoccurrence. The rate of complete cure was 83.3% for this group, higher than that for conventional therapy. Conclusion Since ARBX is highly effective in inducing osteogenic activity and capable of resisting infection, it can be used in simultaneous one-stage grafting for treatment of patients with posttraumatic osteomyelitis of the femur. Key words: Osteomyelitis; Bone grafting; Bone morpbogenetic protein (BMP); Antibiotics