Comparison of conventional surgery with motorized trephine in bone harvest from the anterior iliac crest

Objective. A prospective study was performed to compare morbidity associated with the harvest of corticocancellous block grafts (CCBG) by conventional surgery and procurement of cancellous cores (CC) by means of a motorized trephine from the anterior ilium. Study design. Seventy-six patients requiring 30 mL or less of cancellous bone for maxillofacial reconstruction were placed into 2 treatment groups. One group underwent harvest of CCBGs in the traditional open medial approach to the anterior ilium. The second group had CCs harvested through a 0.5- to 1.0-cm incision with a motor-driven trephine. The following parameters were used to evaluate patient morbidity: number of days to unassisted ambulation, length of hospital stay, and pain scores for both the recipient and the donor sites. Results. The mean time to patients' unassisted ambulation following a CCBG was significantly longer (2.8 days) than following CC (0.8 days). The mean length of hospital stay following a CCBG was significantly longer (4.1 days) than following a CC (2.2 days). The mean contemporaneous maxillofacial pain scores following procurement of CCs (day 1: 5.6; day 3: 4.2) and procurement of CCBGs (day 1: 5.8; day 3: 4.5) were not significantly different, whereas the mean hip pain was significantly greater (P < .05) on day 1 in patients having undergone a CCBG (pain score: 6.2) than in patients having undergone a CC graft (pain score: 3.0). Gait disturbance was identified in 15 of 22 patients (68%) who underwent a CCBG. Only 1 of the 54 patients (1.9%) who underwent a CC graft exhibited an abnormal gait. No other complications were noted. The results demonstrated a significant difference in morbidity between the 2 techniques in all variables. Conclusion. Where modest amounts of cancellous bone are required for maxillofacial grafting, trephining of cancellous cores results in significantly less morbidity than traditional open methods.