Vascularized Medial Femoral Condyle Graft for Manubrium Nonunion: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Fractures of the sternum are rare. Persistent nonunions, however, can lead to chronic pain and significant functional limitations. The vascularized medial femoral condyle is a versatile tool in the surgeon’s armamentarium. Traditionally, it has been used as a thin corticoperiosteal graft in the treatment of nonunion of tubular bones. Its use as a structural corticocancellous graft has also been expanding. This report presents a case of a patient with a recalcitrant symptomatic nonunion of the manubrium treated with the unique combined corticoperiosteal and corticocancellous vascularized bone graft from the medial femoral condyle and reviews the literature concerning these uncommon nonunions. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 26(3):173–179, 2017)
Key words: corticocancellous structural graft, manubrial fracture, manubrial nonunion, medial femoral condyle, vascularized bone graft