Complications Associated with Lateral Proximal Tibial Grafting

OBJECTIVE: Autologous bone is accepted as the gold standard graft material in the oral cavity . The lateral proximal tibia has been used with increasing frequency for most oral procedures requiring bone . The proximal tibia is a safer harvesting site than the rib , iliac crest or calvarium . The aim of this study is to report the incidence of complications related to lateral proximal tibial grafting . METHODS: Fifty patients were retrieved from our files starting 2003 till present . All patients had to complete a questionnaire and correlate with the clinical data . RESULTS: The overall incidence of complications in our study is the same as that of the previous studies . Most of the patients exhibited swelling and bruising of the ankle . Most patients felt the pain in the tibia was worse than that in the oral cavity . There were no negative coments regarding the scarring . Normal ambulation was achieved between one and three weeks post - operatively . Wound healing was uneventful except for two patients that developed superfiscial wound infection . CONCLUSION: The lateral proximal tibial graft site is a relatively safe and reliable site to graft cancellous bone .