Reamer Irrigator Aspirator (RIA) vs Autogenous Iliac Crest Bone Graft (AICBG) for the Treatment of Non-unions
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01382485 |
Recruitment Status : Unknown
Verified November 2019 by Unity Health Toronto.
Recruitment status was: Recruiting
First Posted : June 27, 2011
Last Update Posted : November 27, 2019
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Nonunion of Bone Graft Fractures Non Union | Other: RIA harvesting group Other: AICBG harvesting group | Not Applicable |
All subjects will be pre-screened by the treating physician. Subjects who present with a nonunion of a long bone will be invited to speak to the research coordinator regarding the study. An internet based randomization system will be used to allocate subjects to treatment groups. Participating sites will be given a unique ID and password to log into the secure website and register their subject.
Treating physicians will use 1 of 2 bone graft harvesting methods in patients with a nonunion of a long bone requiring grafting. The first method involves harvesting bone graft from the iliac crest area. The second method involves using the RIA to harvest bone graft from the femoral canal. Clinical assessments will occur at the time of hospital admission (baseline), at post-op day 1, and then at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 month, 12 months and 24 months post-surgery.
Surgical procedure at the nonunion site will not be standardized as this will vary greatly. Surgeons may use bone graft substitutes at the recipient site at their discretion. We will however, standardize surgical techniques for harvesting of the graft from the donor site.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 104 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Reamer Irrigator Aspirator Versus Autogenous Iliac Crest Bone Graft for the Treatment of Non-Unions: A Multi-Centre Randomized Controlled Trial |
Study Start Date : | August 2012 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | August 2021 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | August 2021 |
Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Active Comparator: AICBG harvesting group
Iliac crest bone graft will be harvested from the anterior iliac crest through an incision beginning 2cm posterior to the anterior superior iliac spine and carried posteriorly. A window will be made in the iliac crest and a curette will subsequently be used to harvest the cancellous bone. The incision will be closed in 3 layers. The infiltration of local anaesthetic will be at the discretion of the surgeon.
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Other: AICBG harvesting group
Iliac crest bone graft will be harvested from the anterior iliac crest through an incision beginning 2cm posterior to the anterior superior iliac spine and carried posteriorly. A window will be made in the iliac crest and a curette will subsequently be used to harvest the cancellous bone. The incision will be closed in 3 layers. The infiltration of local anaesthetic will be at the discretion of the surgeon. |
Experimental: RIA harvesting group
Subjects allocated to the RIA group will have the graft harvested in a standardized fashion using the technique described by Quintero et al. Briefly, the RIA device is a single-pass reamer that is connected to an aspirator and irrigator, allowing simultaneous reaming, irrigation, and aspiration of the contents of the femoral canal. RIA head size and tube length will be chosen based on preoperative templating of anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the donor femur (a head size of 2mm larger than the inner cortical diameter at the isthmus of the femur will be selected). Fluoroscopic imaging will be used to confirm guidewire positioning and avoid eccentric reaming. Bone graft will be harvested from the central femoral canal and from each femoral condyle in 3 separate passes.
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Other: RIA harvesting group
Subjects allocated to the RIA group will have the graft harvested in a standardized fashion using the technique described by Quintero et al. Briefly, the RIA device is a single-pass reamer that is connected to an aspirator and irrigator, allowing simultaneous reaming, irrigation, and aspiration of the contents of the femoral canal. RIA head size and tube length will be chosen based on preoperative templating of anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the donor femur (a head size of 2mm larger than the inner cortical diameter at the isthmus of the femur will be selected). Fluoroscopic imaging will be used to confirm guidewire positioning and avoid eccentric reaming. Bone graft will be harvested from the central femoral canal and from each femoral condyle in 3 separate passes. |
- Pain as measured by a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) [ Time Frame: 6 weeks post operatively ]Our primary outcome will be acute post-operative pain at the donor site, measured by a pain visual analog scale (VAS)at 6 weeks post-operatively
- Time to union [ Time Frame: 1 year ]Secondary outcomes will include time to union,

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 65 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Subjects male or female, aged 18-65
- Subjects with a nonunion of a long bone requiring bone grafting in the -opinion of their orthopaedic surgeon (nonunion will be defined as "9 months duration of the nonunited fracture with no evidence of progressive healing over the previous 3 months")
- Subjects must have an uninjured, healthy iliac crest and a femur that has not previously been operated on
- Subjects must provide informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Subjects requiring a structural bone graft
- Subjects presenting with an active systemic or local infection
- Subjects with a nonunion due to pathologic fracture
- Patients with severely compromised soft-tissue coverage at the nonunion site, sufficient to impair bone healing
- Patients receiving radiation, chemotherapy, immunosuppression, or chronic steroids
- Subjects with whom there are likely to be problems, in the judgment of the Investigator or Research Coordinator, with maintaining follow-up (such as no fixed address, plans to move out of town in the next year, etc.).

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01382485
Contact: Milena Vicente, RN, CCRP | 416-864-6060 ext 2608 | vicentem@smh.ca |
Canada, Ontario | |
St.Michael's Hospital | Recruiting |
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5C 1R6 | |
Contact: Milena Vicente, RN, CCRP 416-864-6060 ext 2608 vicentem@smh.ca | |
Principal Investigator: Aaron Nauth, MD, FRCS(C) | |
Principal Investigator: Emil Schemitsch, MD, FRCS(C) | |
Sub-Investigator: Michael McKee, MD, FRCS(C) | |
Sub-Investigator: Jeremy Hall, MD,FRCS(C) |
Principal Investigator: | Aaron Nauth, MD FRCS(C) | Unity Health Toronto |
Responsible Party: | Unity Health Toronto |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01382485 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
RIA2011 |
First Posted: | June 27, 2011 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | November 27, 2019 |
Last Verified: | November 2019 |
non union bone defect tibia non union femur non union bone graft |
Fractures, Ununited Fractures, Bone Wounds and Injuries |