Autogenous cancellous strip grafts in the treatment of delayed union of long bone fractures.

In recent years autogenous cancellous bone grafting has become the standard treatment for delayed union offractures in many centres. In this technique strips ofiliac bone are applied subperiosteally around the fracture site like barrel staves, which are held in position merely by suture of the overlying periosteum. Nevertheless the literature contains surprisingly few reviews extensive enough to provide an objective assessment of its value. Accordingly it was decided to review all the cases of delayed fracture healing treated by this method in the orthopaedic department in Edinburgh from 1959 to 1965 inclusive. The present paper reports this retrospective study.