Donor site morbidity after bone harvesting from the anterior iliac crest
Received 13 July 2009; received in revised form 25 July 2009; accepted 11 August 2009.
Objectives
Autologous bone grafting is a common, standard procedure in maxillofacial surgery. We investigated complications of harvesting bone from the anterior iliac crest.
Study design
A retrospective analysis with a 2-year observational period included 75 patients who had undergone iliac bone grafting. Two techniques were examined: the closed osteotomy using a cylinder osteotome (Shepard) and an open procedure with a saw.
Results
One major complication, a fracture of the anterior superior iliac spine, was observed (0.7%). Regarding long-term morbidity, 3 patients (4%) suffered from persistent pain and 2 (2.7%) from persistent sensory disturbance. A correlation by gender showed greater severity of pain directly after graft harvesting in women (PWilcoxon ≤ .001). Harvesting of corticocancellous blocks caused more pain than with the cylinder osteotome (PMedian ≤ .07).
Conclusion
The morbidity after iliac crest harvesting was found to be moderate to low, but the procedure is still necessary and frequently used.
aSenior staff member, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg GmbH, Giessen, Germany
bChairperson, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg GmbH, Giessen, Germany
Reprint requests: Heidrun Schaaf, MD, DDS, Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Giessen, Klinikstr. 29, 35385 Giessen, Germany
ABSTRACT