Aims. Preserving growth following limb-salvage surgery of the upper
limb in children remains a challenge. Vascularized autografts may
provide rapid biological incorporation with the potential for growth
and longevity. In this study, we aimed to describe the outcomes
following proximal humeral reconstruction with a vascularized fibular
epiphyseal transfer in children with a primary sarcoma of bone.
We also aimed to quantify the hypertrophy of the graft and the annual
growth, and to determine the functional outcomes of the neoglenofibular
joint. Patients and Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 11 patients who underwent this procedure
for a primary bone tumour of the proximal humerus between 2004 and
2015. Six had Ewing’s sarcoma and five had osteosarcoma. Their mean
age at the time of surgery was five years (two to eight). The mean
follow-up was 5.2 years (1 to 12.2). Results. The overall survival at five and ten years was 91% (confidence
interval (CI) 95% 75% to 100%). At the time of the final review,
ten patients were alive. One with local recurrence and metastasis
died one-year post-operatively. Complications included seven fractures,
four transient nerve palsies, and two patients developed avascular
necrosis of the graft. All the fractures presented within the first
postoperative year and united with conservative management. One
patient had two further operations for a slipped fibular epiphysis
of the autograft, and a hemi-epiphysiodesis for lateral tibial physeal
arrest. Hypertrophy and axial growth were evident in nine patients
who did not have avascular necrosis of the graft. The mean hypertrophy
index was 65% (55% to 82%), and the mean growth was 4.6 mm per annum
(2.4 to 7.6) in these nine grafts. At final follow-up, the mean
modified functional Musculoskeletal Tumour Society score was 77%
(63% to 83%) and the mean Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS)
was 84% (65% to 94%). Conclusion. Vascularized fibular
