The spacer block technique in osteomyelitis of the phalangeal bones of the hand.

The authors report a case of an open mallet injury with a traumatic arthrotomy which was complicated with a destructive infection involving both the middle and distal phalanges of a ring digit and which was treated with two-stage reconstructive surgery with good results. In the first stage, after the osteomyelitic portion of adjacent phalangeal bones were excised en bloc, the dead space was filled by means of an antibiotic-impregnated cement spacer. In the second stage, an autogenous corticocancellous bone graft from the iliac crest was secured into the defect with a intramedullary Herbert scaphoid screw.