Autogenous Bone Graft: Donor Sites and Techniques

Autogenous cancellous bone graft provides an osteoconductive, osteoinductive, and osteogenic substrate for filling bone voids and augmenting fracture-healing. The iliac crest remains the most frequently used site for bone-graft harvest, but the proximal part of the tibia, distal end of the radius, distal aspect of the tibia, and greater trochanter are alternative donor sites that are particularly useful for bone-grafting in the ipsilateral extremity. The most common complication associated with the harvest of autogenous bone graft is pain at the donor site, with less frequent complications including nerve injury, hematoma, infection, and fracture at the donor site. Induced membranes is a method that uses a temporary polymethylmethacrylate cement spacer to create a bone-graft-friendly environment to facilitate graft incorporation, even in large segmental defects.