Table 3.
Clinical outcomes of the included studies
| Reference | Treatment technique | Number of patients | Infection nonunion (%) |
DS (cm) |
EFT (day) |
EFI (day/cm) |
Bone result (ASAMI, excellent and good) |
Function result (ASAMI, excellent and good) |
Complication (per patient) |
ABG (%) | Bone union rate(%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abulaiti et al | BFT | 32 | 10(31.2%) | 7.8 ± 1.8 | 474.5 ± 103.2 | 60.8 ± 1.9 | 28 | 26 | 0.96(31/32) | 4(12.5%) | 32(100%) |
| TFT | 21 | 7(33.3%) | 9.4 ± 1.5 | 328.0 ± 57.2 | 34.8 ± 2.1 | 19 | 18 | 0.52(11/21) | 1(4.7%) | 21(100%) | |
| Catagni et al | BFT | 45 | 16(35.5%) | 12.5 ± 2.4 | 345.0 ± 54.1 | 27.6 ± 1.3 | 41 | 35 | 0.64(29/45) | 16(35.5%) | 45(100%) |
| TFT | 41 | 22(53.6%) | 13.5 ± 2.5 | 261.0 ± 45.7 | 19.3 ± 1.1 | 38 | 33 | 0.46(21/45) | 11(26.8%) | 41(100%) | |
| Li et al | BFT | 13 | 13(100%) | 7.2 ± 0.8 | 541.8 ± 44.7 | 75.7 ± 7.8 | 9 | 10 | 0.23(3/13) | 4(30.7%) | 13(100%) |
| TFT | 13 | 13(100%) | 10.6 ± 2.3 | 381.3 ± 57.6 | 36.6 ± 6.0 | 11 | 12 | 0.3(4/13) | 2(15.3%) | 13(100%) | |
| Liu et al | BFT | 221 | 32(14.4%) | 5.8 ± 1.6 | 385.1 ± 89.0 | 66.5 ± 8.5 | 182 | 106 | 0.3(68/221) | 29(13.1%) | 221(100%) |
| TFT | 61 | 9(14.7%) | 9.1 ± 1.7 | 340.6 ± 52.1 | 38.0 ± 6.5 | 51 | 30 | 0.37(23/61) | 9(14.7%) | 61(100%) | |
| Yushan et al | BFT | 21 | 21(100%) | 7.6 ± 2.3 | 299.9 ± 128.2 | 62.2 ± 24.6 | 19 | 17 | 0.8(17/21) | 1(4.7%) | 21(100%) |
| TFT | 16 | 16(100%) | 10.3 ± 3.4 | 207.0 ± 40.4 | 32.9 ± 9.2 | 13 | 15 | 0.81(13/16) | 1(6.2%) | 16(100%) |
ABG, autologous bone grafting; ASAMI, Association for the Study and Application of Methods of Ilizarov; BFT, bifocal bone transport; DS, defect size; EFI, external fixation index; EFT, external fixation time; nr, not reported; TFT, trifocal bone transport