Donor site morbidity in the iliac crest bone graft

Background: Open iliac crest bone grafting is a common surgical procedure with recognized short-tt rm complications. The present paper documents the medium- to long-term complications and level of patient satisfaction following the procedure. Methods: Seventy-three patients undergoing an open iliac crest bone graft over the past 6 years at Wellington Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. All patients completed a postal questionnaire which assessed their current pain. sensory changes in and below the scar, scar appearance and overall appearance with the bone graft donor site. Results: Sixteen patients (21.9%) reported pain, 11 patients (15%) stated that their scar was sensitive to touch and 19 patients (22%) reported a degree of sensory change below the scar. Six patients (8.2%) felt that the scar appearance was totally unacceptable. Overall satisfaction, however, was high with 70 patients (95.8%) 'fairly satisfied' or 'totally satisfied' with their iliac crest donor site. Conclusions: Bone grafting from the iliac crest is a relatively benign procedure in terms of patient satisfaction, and the most significant morbidity is pain.