[Application of homemade antibiotic bone cement rod in tibial screw canal osteomyelitis].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of homemade antibiotic bone cement rod in the treatment of tibial screw canal osteomyelitis by Masquelet technique. Methods: A clinical data of 52 patients with tibial screw canal osteomyelitis met the criteria between October 2019 and September 2020 was retrospectively analyzed. There were 28 males and 24 females, with an average age of 38.6 years (mean, 23-62 years). The tibial fractures were treated with internal fixation in 38 cases and external fixation in 14 cases. The duration of osteomyelitis was 6 months to 20 years with a median of 2.3 years. The bacterial culture of wound secretions showed 47 positive cases, of which 36 cases were infected with single bacteria and 11 cases were infected with mixed bacteria. After thorough debridement and removal of internal and external fixation devices, the locking plate was used to fixed the bone defect. The tibial screw canal was filled with the antibiotic bone cement rod. The sensitive antibiotics were given after operation and the 2nd stage treatment was performed after infection control. The antibiotic cement rod was removed and the bone grafting in the induced membrane was performed. After operation, the clinical manifestations, wound, inflammatory indexes, and X-ray films were monitored dynamically, and the postoperative bone infection control and bone graft healing were evaluated. Results: Both patients successfully completed the two stages of treatments. All patients were followed up after the 2nd stage treatment. The follow-up time was 11 to 25 months (mean, 18.3 months). One patient had poor wound healing and the wound healed after enhanced dressing change. X-ray film showed that the bone grafting in the bone defect healed and the healing time was 3-6 months, with an average of 4.5 months. The patient had no recurrence of infection during the follow-up period. Conclusion: For the tibial screw canal osteomyelitis, the homemade antibiotic bone cement rod can reduce the recurrence rate of infection and obtain a good effectiveness, and has the advantages of simple operation and less postoperative complications.