Abstract
Between 1999 and 2005, seven patients had resection of tumors around the knee joint that involved half of the articular surface of the femoral or tibial side. Average age of the patients was 28 years (range, 14โ40). Tumor pathology was giant cell tumor in four patients, osteoblastoma in two, and benign fibrous histocytoma in one patient. Two patients had recurrent tumors. The tumor was located in the distal femur in five patients and in the proximal tibia in the remaining two. The ipsilateral patella pedicled on the infrapatellar fat pad was used to substitute the resected articular surface and a vascularized fibula osteoseptocutaneous flap was used to reconstruct the metaphyseal defect. Average followโup period was 6.5 years (range, 3.5โ10 years). All flaps survived. Average time to bone union was 3.5 months (range, 3โ4 months), and average time to full weightโbearing was 5 months (range, 4โ6 months). No radiological signs of avascular necrosis of the patella were observed in any patient. Two patients required secondary procedures for correction of instability. One patient had local recurrence. At final followโup, the median range of knee motion was from 10ยฐ to 100ยฐ. The average Knee Society Score (KSS) was 76 points (range; 50โ85 points), and the average KSS functional score was 76.6 points (range, 70โ90 points). In conclusion, the procedure is a reliable option for after resection of tumors that involve half the articular surface of the femur or the tibia. ยฉ 2010 WileyโLiss, Inc. Microsurgery 30:603โ607, 2010.