BACKGROUND: Restoration of significant anatomical and functional bone defects is one of the most urgent problems of reconstructive surgery in children. Various options for plastic surgery of bone defects are considered. However, some publications present both positive and negative aspects of using vascularized bone autotransplants. AIM: This study aimed to conduct a systematic analysis of foreign literature data on the use of blood-supplied fibular grafts with a functioning growth zone. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed information data base and Google Scholar from 1988 to February 7, 2021. Based on the criteria for the selection of literature sources, 21 literary sources were identified. In the analysis, special attention was paid to the age of patients at the time of reconstructive surgery, type of vascularized bone graft used with vessels that are part of the feeding leg, follow-up period, complications in the area of the surgical intervention, as well as the functional result and functioning of the graft growth zone. RESULTS: In this study, 21 articles comprised the sample, of which 14 were descriptions of clinical observation and seven were descriptions of clinical series. These publications include information on the follow-up of 54 patients with an average age of 6.86 years (minmax, 115 years). The average duration of postoperative follow-up was 56 months (minmax, 622 years). Indications for surgical interventions were extensive bone defects formed as a result of the tumor process (n = 44), trauma (n = 4), infectious process (n = 1), and birth defects (n = 5). CONCLUSIONS: In pediatric orthopedics, bone-vascularized fibular grafts with a functioning growth zone are used for the reconstruction of extensive bone defects in complex clinical situations if standard bone auto-/alloplasties are impossible. According to the literature, this technique allows us to achieve satisfactory functional results in most cases. Despite the positive functional results, postoperative complications are quite common in patients.

Background. Pathological vertebral fractures are rare and occur in inflammatory, tumor, and dystrophic lesions. Aim. This study aimed to analyze clinical features and morphological structure of pathological fractures of the spine in children. Materials and methods. The authors examined and operated 62 children aged 217 years for pathological vertebral fractures. We investigated the clinical, radiological, and morphological features. Results. The average age of children at the time of hospitalization was 10 years. Lesions of thoracic vertebrae prevailed (78%) with the maximum frequency of occurrence at the apex of physiological kyphosis Th78. In 10 cases, multiple lesions were noted, including the pathology of other parts of the skeleton. In 69% of observations, clinical symptoms were not dominated by mechanical back pain. Palpation pain (34%) and local spinal deformation (27%) were noted. On average, local kyphosis was 24. Eleven patients (18%) manifested a neurological deficiency, of which nine fractures were a consequence of the tumor process. In 16% of observations, the fracture of the vertebra was detected to be an accidental Х-ray finding. Among the radiation manifestations, all cases (12 patients) registered the decrease in the height of the vertebral body in the form of collapse. Destruction was manifested by various options other than blastic. Therapeutic and diagnostic interventions were performed in 56 patients, and in six children, manipulation was limited to trepan biopsy. The pathological fracture was caused by an inflammatory process in 50% of observations and tumors in 42%, of which 31% is malignant. Conclusions. Pathological spinal fracture in children should be considered as a syndrome, which in most cases is based on an inflammatory or tumor process. The high frequency of neoplastic, including malignant processes, requires active invasive diagnosis. Therapeutic tactics are determined by the clinical, radiation, and morphological characteristics of pathology.