# Management strategies for Docking Site refractures: a comparative analysis of 19 patient cases

## TL;DR

This study compared three treatments for bone fractures at a healed docking site after external fixation removal and found all to be equally effective.

## Contribution

A comparative analysis of three management strategies for docking site refractures after Ilizarov bone transport.

## Key findings

- All three treatments (IMN, PEPF, REF) achieved satisfactory bone union and functional outcomes.
- There was no significant difference in preoperative or postoperative outcomes among the three groups.
- The study provides evidence for the reliability of IMN, PEPF, and REF in managing refractures at the docking site.

## Abstract

This study aimed to compare the clinical effectiveness of intramedullary nailing (IMN), percutaneous external plate fixation (PEPF), and re-applied external fixation (REF) in the treatment of refracture at the consolidated docking site following the removal of external fixation in patients with tibial defects who had previously undergone the Ilizarov bone transport technique.

A retrospective review was performed on patients who received IMN, PEPF, or REF for refracture at the consolidated docking site subsequent to the removal of external fixation. A collection of data was made regarding the following parameters: age, gender, defect size, treatment methods, external fixation time (EFT), external fixation index (EFI), time of refracture (TOR) subsequent to fixation removal, and docking reunion time (DRT). Bone and functional outcomes were evaluated by the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov (ASAMI) scoring system and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) questionnaire.

The study included 14 males and 5 females with an average age of 38.1 ± 8.9 years (range, 26 to 55 years). Etiologies included post-traumatic osteomyelitis in 11 cases and post-traumatic bone loss in 8 cases. The median bone defect was 5.11 ± 0.87 cm (range, 3.8 to 6.8 cm). Following docking site refracture, 6 cases were treated with IMN, 8 with PEPF, and 5 with REF. All patients achieved both satisfactory bone union and functional outcomes, and there was no significant difference in preoperative baseline data or postoperative outcomes among the three groups.

IMN, PEPF, and REF were all demonstrated favorable postoperative bone and functional outcomes, suggesting their reliability as treatment options for managing docking site refracture following external fixation removal.