Donor site morbidity following iliac crest bone graft
Palmer, W.; Crawford-Sykes, A.; Rose, R.E.C.
West Indian Medical Journal 57(5): 490-492
2008
ISSN/ISBN: 0043-3144 PMID: 19565981 Document Number: 616939
To evaluate the complications of harvesting autogenous bone from the iliac crest. A retrospective review of patients undergoing iliac crest bone grafting at the University Hospital of the West Indies, during the period 2000-2004, was performed. One hundred and three patients were identified. Thirty-two patients were successfully contacted and 30 completed the questionnaire. There were 18 males (60%) and 12 females (40%). Their ages ranged from 13 years to 80 years (average 45.6 years). Of the 30 patients, 22 (73.3%) had complications. Fourteen (46.6%) patients had temporary pain; five (16.6%) had chronic pain. Two (6.6%) changed position of clothing due to discomfort at the graft site; five (16.6%) experienced difficulty walking, one reported itching of the scar one had altered sensation and one was unhappy with the scar. Fourteen patients (46.6%) had minor complications and eight patients (26.6%) had major complications. Autogenous iliac crest bone grafting is associated with significant complications.