Ilizarov technique in the treatment of bone defects of the radius and ulna: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of the Ilizarov method in the treatment of radius and ulna bone defects. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, and Scopus databases were searched for articles published up to May 2023. The quality of the studies was evaluated using a modified version of the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. The effect size and confidence intervals at 95% for the main results were calculated. The heterogeneity was evaluated. The demographic data, defect size (DS), external fixation time (EFT), external fixation index (EFI), and complications were extracted and analyzed using the Stata version 16. RESULTS: This meta-analysis identified and included seven studies involving 98 patients. The union rate of 100% was reported in all studies. According to the findings of the single-arm meta-analysis, the pooled DS was 3.42 cm (95% CI [2.64, 4.21], I(2) = 53.5%, P = 0.045), EFT was 148.43 days (95% CI [97.49, 199.38], I(2) = 91.9%, P = 0.000), and EFI was 41.32 days/cm (95% CI [35.72, 46.91], I(2) = 62.2%, P = 0.021). Pin tract infection was the most common complication, as reported in six studies. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present meta-analysis indicate that the Ilizarov technique is a successful treatment option for bone defects in the radius and ulna. This method has demonstrated efficacy in achieving expected clinical outcomes. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13018-023-04126-4.