Taipei Veterans General Hospital uses liquid nitrogen for bone reconstruction

Medical professionals at Taipei Veterans General Hospital have utilized a “bone-preserving in situ liquid nitrogen freezing” technique to treat osteosarcoma. In a case involving a 22-year-old patient with a malignant tumor in the femoral shaft, doctors performed a wide excision and used liquid nitrogen to treat the bone segment in place. This method allows the bone to remain connected to the body, preserving blood supply and reducing the number of healing surfaces required compared to traditional methods.

Dr. Wu Po-gui, director of the Joint Reconstruction Section, noted that this technique has been used in 202 cases since 2017, resulting in a bone non-union rate of 3% and a postoperative fracture rate of 0.5%. The patient in the reported case has remained recurrence-free for over five years.