Reconstru？？o de extremidades com retalho livre de fíbula após ressec？？es oncológicas

background: primary tumors of the long bones are rare, accounting for 0.2-1% of malignant tumors. in the past, amputation was the standard treatment and had a large impact on patient morbidity and mortality. with advances in surgical techniques and multidisciplinary involvement, conservative surgery of the limbs has become the treatment of choice, and reconstruction using a microsurgical fibula flap is the most commonly used technique. in this study, we aimed to present the experience of the national cancer institute (inca) with limb reconstruction using a microsurgical fibula flap following tumor resection from the long bones. methods: we retrospectively analyzed 7 cases of free fibular flap surgery at the inca from 1997 to 2009 for the reconstruction of defects of the extremities after bone tumor resection. we evaluated the following parameters: gender, age, diagnosis, tumor location, resection size and type, reconstruction size and type, vessels used for the anastomosis, postoperative complications, disease status at the last visit, follow-up, and time to ambulation. results: seven patients with a mean age of 11.8 years (range, 5-14 years) underwent extremity reconstruction with a free fibula flap with 100% bone viability. the lesions were located within the femur, tibia, or humerus. osteosarcoma was the most common tumor type. the average return to ambulation was 14.7 months. conclusions: the use of a free fibula flap is an excellent alternative for limb reconstruction and features a high bone healing rate, early ambulation, good functionality, and a low complication rate.