Clinical Outcomes of Osteoarticular Extracorporeal Irradiated Autograft for Malignant Bone Tumor

Background and Objectives. Osteoarticular extracorporeal irradiated autograft is an alternative operation technique to prosthetic devices or allografts for reconstruction after resection of bone malignancies. The aim of this study is to assess the complications, radiographic changes, and functional outcomes of osteoarticular ECIA. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 33 patients who underwent osteoarticular ECIA after bone tumor resection from 1988 to 2014. We investigated complications, radiographic changes by the International Society of Limb Salvage graft evaluation criteria, and functional outcomes according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scoring system. Results. Fifteen patients were reoperated upon due to infection (n = 9), protruding fixation implant (n = 4), or fracture of the grafted bone (n = 2). The average radiographic evaluation score was 66.4%, and the median functional score was 23 (77%). The radiographic score for the proximal humerus or proximal tibia was lower than that for the other locations. The functional score was not different among the autograft sites but was related to the radiographic score. Conclusion. Although osteoarticular ECIA is one of the reasonable surgical options for patients with tumors for which reliable prostheses are not available, we do not recommend osteoarticular ECIA as a routine procedure because of high complication rate.