Nonunion Of Long Bone Fractures Research Articles

Augmenting locking plate with autologous bone graft for the treatment of nonunion of long bone fracture in the lower extremity with retaining of the original intramedullary nail

To explore clinical effect of attaching locking plate with bone grafting based on retaining the original intramedullary nail in treating non-union after intramedullary nail fixation of long shaft fractures of lower limbs. A retrospective study was conducted on 20 patients treated with non-union fractures after intramedullary nailing of long shaft fractures of lower limbs from June 2015 to June 2020. All patients were treated with the original intramedullary nailing and bone grafting from the iliac bone, and were underwent open reduction plate internal fixation and bone grafting for old fractures. Among them, 14 were males and 6 were females, aged from 35 to 56 years old with an average of (42.2±9.6) years old. Nine patients were femoral shaft fracture and 11 patients were tibial shaft fracture. According to characteristics of fracture end nonunion, 6 patients were stable/atrophic, 9 patients were unstable/large, and 5 patients were unstable/atrophic. The nonunion time ranged from 8 to 12 months with an average of(9.8±2.0) months after the initial surgery. Visual analogue scale (VAS), knee range of motion, bone healing time, complications and fracture-end healing were recorded before and at the latest follow-up. All patients were followed up for 18 to 48 months with an average of (36.3±10.5) months. The incision of all patients were healed at stageⅠwithout complications such as infection or internal fixation ruptur. Healing time of femur and tibia was (8.5±2.6) months and (9.5±2.2) months. Knee joint motion increased from preoperative (101.05±8.98) ° to postoperative (139.35±8.78) ° at the latest follow-up (t=-12.845, P<0.001). VAS decreased from preoperative (5.15±1.72) to postoperative (0.75±0.96) at the latest follow-up (t=11.186, P<0.001). On the basis of retaining the original intramedullary nail, the addition of locking plate internal fixation and autogenous iliac bone grafting have advantages of simple operation, less trauma, fewer complications and high fracture healing rate. It is one of the effective surgical schemes for the treatment of nonunion after intramedullary nail fixation of long bone fracture of lower extremity.

Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Treatment for Non-unions of Long Bone Fractures in a Scottish District General Hospital.

Despite advances in treatment, the management of fracture non-union remains a challenging and complex problem in orthopaedics. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS)treatment has been shown to be an effective, non-invasive, affordable treatment option. This treatment was evaluated in a Scottish district hospital over a nine-year period, which included the COVID-19 pandemic. This submission describes a case series at Dr Gray's Hospital in Scotland, 18 patients in whom fracture non-union was treated using LIPUS. An overall healing rate of 94% was achieved. Exogen™ (Bioventus LLC, NC, USA) proved to be most successful in oligotrophic non-union. No observed patient demographic appeared predictive of outcome. LIPUS treatment failed in one case. No significant adverse effects of LIPUS were detected. LIPUS represents a useful, cost-effective potential alternative to revision surgery. LIPUS may therefore be the preferred treatment when surgical intervention and face-to-face interactions are to be minimised, as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An Audit of the effect of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Treatment in patients with non-union of long bone fractures.

To evaluate the outcomes, clinical and radiological application of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 alone versus Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 with autograft in long bone non-unions. A prospective review of patients was done with fracture non-union admitted to Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 2016 to January 2019. The patients were divided into two groups; those exposed to Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 alone in group 1, and those exposed to Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 plus autologous graft in group 2. Background characteristics of both the groups were analysed. Patients were followed up at 6, 12 and 24 weeks through their medical records. The primary outcome was postoperative union at 6, 12 and 24. Union was defined by having the clinical union as well as the radiological union at the same time of assessment. Of the 80 patients enrolled, 13(16.25%) were excluded, and 5(6.25%) were lost to follow-up. The final sample had 62(77.5%) patients; 35(56.5%) in group 1, and 27(43.5%) in group 2. Union at 6 weeks was observed in 13(21%) patients; 8(62%) in group 1, and 5(38%) in group 2. Union at 12 weeks was observed in 38(61%) patients; 20(53%) in group 1, and 18(47%) in group 2. Results showed that using the adjuvant treatment alone was not worse than using it along with bone autologous graft.

Surgical and functional outcomes of infective non union of femur and tibia using ilizarov ring fixator

Introduction: Nonunion of long bone fractures is a common condition encountered by an orthopedic surgeon in daily practice. For effective treatment of nonunion, internal fixation with or without bone grafting can be done but, an infected non union can prove to be a tough challenge. The aim of our study is to assess the surgical and functional outcomes of infected nonunion of femur and tibia treated with debridement, corticotomy and Ilizarov ring fixator. Materials and Method: This was a multi-centric prospective study of twenty patients in a time span of three years from May 2017 till April 2020. Observations and Results: Patients were assessed using clinical and functional results as per Association for the Study and Application of Methods of Ilizarov (ASAMI) Scoring System. Conclusion: The Ilizarov method remains one of the most successful and versatile means of achieving bone-healing in infected nonunion of long bones of lower limbs with benefits of correcting deformities, bone defects and limb length discrepancy.

Healing of sub-critical femoral osteotomies in mice is unaffected by tacrolimus and deletion of recombination activating gene 1.

Clinical management of delayed healing or non-union of long bone fractures and segmental defects poses a substantial orthopaedic challenge. There are suggestions in the literature that bone healing may be enhanced by inhibiting the activities of T and B lymphocytes, but this remains controversial. To examine this matter in more detail, sub-critical-sized segmental defects were created in the femora of mice and it was assessed whether there might be a benefit from the administration of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug that blocks T cell activation (tacrolimus). Defects were stabilised using an internal plate. In certain groups of animals, 1 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg tacrolimus was delivered locally to the defect site for 3 or 7 d using an implanted osmotic pump with a silicon catheter directing drug delivery into the defect area. Healing was monitored by weekly X-ray and assessed at 12 weeks by mechanical testing, µCT and histology. Radiographic and histological evaluations revealed that 100 % of defects healed well regardless of tacrolimus dosage or duration. A comparison of healed C57BL/6 and Rag1-/- femora by µCT and ex vivo torsion testing showed no differences within mouse strains in terms of bone volume, tissue volume, bone volume/tissue volume ratio, shear modulus, torsional rigidity or torsional stiffness. These data failed to support an important role for tacrolimus in modulating the natural healing of segmental defects under those experimental conditions.

Clinical and functional outcome of percutaneous bone marrow injection in delayed union and non-union of long bone fractures

Non-union and Delayed union is still major challenge to the orthopaedic surgeon. Bone grafting are the basic principle in the treatment of non-union and delayed union. However complications is always concern. To minimize this risk, percutaneous bone marrow injection has been suggested as an alternative, this provides a source of oestrogenic cells with osteoinductive effect.Aim: To study percutaneous bone marrow injection in delayed union and non-union of long bone fractures. Materials and methods: The study Sample will be taken from the patients treated in P.D.U. Medical College and Hospital diagnosed as a delayed and non-union on basis of x rays. Under general or spinal anaesthesia, bone marrow was aspirated from the anterior superior iliac crest OR posterior superior iliac spine using bone marrow aspiration needle. The aspirate was injected percutaneously into and around the fracture site under fluoroscopy control. Results: In our study of 30 cases of Delayed union and non-union, 19 (63.33%) cases achieved Union while 11(36.67%) cases Union not achieved by using percutaneous bone marrow injection. Conclusion: Bone marrow injection technique is simple technique which has high oestrogenic potential. This minimally invasive procedure is safe, easy, simple, economical and short procedure.

A study on effects of percutaneous bone marrow injection in delayed union and non-union of long bone fractures- observational study

Background: Bone marrow is a good source of osteoprogenitor cells. Being a simple and minimally invasive technique with lesser complications, this study is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of bone marrow injection in delayed union and non-union and thus decrease the period of morbidity for the patients those are likely to go for non-union.Aim and Objectives: The study effects of percutaneous bone marrow injection in delayed union and nonunion of long bone fractures”Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in Pujitha Hospital, Vijayawada over a period of 2 years. We had 34 patients in our series treated by percutaneous bone marrow injection. Based on the amount of initial displacement, communition, soft tissue injury and post op reduction and alignment we graded the cases likely to go in for non-union. Such cases when failed to show expected amount of clinical and radiological union within a certain period we chose them for bone marrow injection. Bone marrow was aspirated from the iliac crest or tibial tuberosity using a bone marrow aspiration needle. Later this marrow aspirate was injected to the fracture site under C -arm guidance. Patients were followed up in the 1st month and then every 3rd month after the procedure and were clinically and radiographically assessed. Cases with pathological fractures, infected non-unions, malignancy and age under 15 years were excluded from our study. The collected data was analysed statistically.Results and Conclusion: We compared our study with other similar studies. We had 72.7% union achieved, another 18.2% showed progression towards healing and 9.1% showed non-progression for union. Union was better when bone marrow injection was given in a case of delayed union as compared to non-union cases. This is a simple, easy and valuable technique to enhance bone healing and this reduced the period of morbidity due to delayed union and non-union.

Autologous bone grafting versus bone morphogenetic protein treatment for nonunion of long bone fractures in adults：a Meta analysis

To systematically evaluate the clinical effects of autologous bone grafting versus bone morphogenetic protein treatment for nonunion of long bone fractures in adults and provide reference for this fracture. According to the methods of systematic review of Cochrane, the randomized controlled trials which compared autologous bone grafting with bone morphogenetic protein treatment for nonunion of long bone fractures in adults were searched in PuMed, Embase, Cochrane library, CNKI , Wangfang data and CBM from the databases were established to March 2019. Information was screened and extracted according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria by two researchers respectively, and the qualities of the included studies were assessed by the modified Jadad quality scale. The rate of infection, successful union, second operation, hospital stays and intraoperative blood loss were compared by RevMan 5.3 software from Cochrane Collaboration for Meta-analysis. Seven randomized controlled trials with a total of 652 patients were included, 410 in the autologous bone grafting group and 242 in the bone morphogenetic protein group. Meta analysis showed there were no statistically significant differences regarding infection［RR=1.32, 95%CI (0.90, 1.93) , P=0.16］, successful union［RR=0.95, 95%CI (0.84, 1.08) , P=0.43］, second operation［RR=1.16, 95%CI (0.43, 3.12) , P=0.76］, hospital stays［MD=0.69, 95%CI (-0.38, 1.75) , P=0.21］between the two groups. But compared with the bone morphogenetic protein treatment, autologous bone grafting significantly increased the intraoperative blood loss［MD=223.00, 95%CI (32.72, 413.28) , P=0.02］. Since bone morphogenetic proteins can attain as the same fracture healing rate as autologous bone grafting and can significantly reduce the intraoperative blood loss, bone morphogenetic proteins may be a better choice for nonunion of long bone fractures in adults.

Physical Health and Psychological Outcomes in Adult Patients with Long-bone Fracture Non-unions: Evidence Today.

Background: Research has suggested that bone fractures can hinder the health status of patients’ life. However, limited research has examined the impact that the healing process of a fracture has on the physical health and psychological state of individuals, particularly in considering the short- and long-term impact of having a fracture that fails to heal and drops into a non-union. The aim of this systematic review is to better understand the impact of fracture non-union to physical health and to respective psychological outcomes. Methods: Electronic databases ‘PubMed’, ‘Cochrane’, ‘PsycInfo’, ‘Medline’, ‘Embase’, ‘Web of Science’, and ‘CINAHL’ were used. Search terms used were nonunion OR non-union OR “non union” OR “long bone” OR “delayed union” AND “quality of life” OR qol OR depression OR anxiety OR psycholog* OR PTSD OR “post-traumatic stress disorder”. Studies published in the years 1995 to 2018 were included. Two independent reviewers carried out screening and data extraction. Studies were included if (1) participants were adult (human) patients with a traumatic non-union secondary to fracture/s; (2) outcomes measured included physical health and psychological wellbeing (e.g., PTSD, psychological trauma, depression, anxiety, etc.). Studies received emphasis if they compared those outcomes between: (1) The “non-union” group to a normative, matched population and (2) the “non-union group” to the same group after union was achieved. However, studies that did not use comparison groups were also included. Results: Out of the 1896 papers identified from our thorough literature search, 13 met the inclusion criteria. Quality assessment was done by the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS). Findings suggested that non-unions had a detrimental impact on physical health, and psychological difficulties often after recovery. Conclusions: Patients who experience a long bone non-union are at risk of greater psychological distress and lower physical health status. There is a need for early identification of psychological distress in patients with fracture non-unions and psychological provision should become part of the available treatment.

The legacy effects of electromagnetic fields on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell self-renewal and multiple differentiation potential

BackgroundThe effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on bone nonunion have been reported for many years. Many studies and randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that EMF exhibited benefits in curing delayed union and nonunion of long bone fractures. Most of them focused on the immediate effects, while the legacy effects of EMF remain poorly investigated.MethodsIn this study, rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were treated with EMF, and after a period of time the BMSC proliferation and differentiation were detected. Additionally, BMSC sheets with or without EMF treatment were transplanted into the rat tibia fracture nonunion models. The bone formation was evaluated after 2, 4, and 6 weeks.ResultsOur results showed that the proliferation capacity of BMSCs was heightened after EMF pretreatment. Over a period of time of EMF pretreatment, the capacities of osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation were enhanced, while adipogenic differentiation was weakened. BMSC sheets pretreated with EMF could better promote the healing of tibia fracture in rats, compared to BMSC sheets alone. Furthermore, significantly higher values of radiographic grading scores were observed in the EMF group.ConclusionsEMF has lasting effects on the proliferation and differentiation of BMSCs, and together with cell sheet technology can provide a new method for the treatment of fracture nonunion.

The Use of a Free Fibular Strut as a "Biological Intramedullary Nail" for the Treatment of Complex Nonunion of Long Bones.

Background:Nonunion of long-bone fractures is difficult to treat, especially when the bones are osteoporotic or there is a large bone gap as a result of repeated failure of the metallic nails or implants. In such cases, the use of an autologous intramedullary fibular strut graft may be a viable treatment option.Methods:Twenty-two patients with a complex nonunion of the shaft of the femur, humerus, or tibia were managed with a free autologous fibular strut graft for intramedullary fixation with use of closed or open methods. All patients had evidence of moderate to severe local osteoporosis and had a bone gap ranging from 4 to 20 mm. Nineteen patients had had 1 to 4 prior operations. The mean age was 51.5 years. The duration of nonunion ranged from 9 months to 4 years.Results:The mean time to union was 17 weeks (range, 8 to 26 weeks), and the mean duration of follow-up was 4 years (range, 6 months to 17 years). All but 2 patients had healing at the time of the latest follow-up.Conclusions:The identification of a viable option for the treatment of difficult nonunion in osteoporotic bones has been a challenge. The insertion of a free autologous intramedullary fibular strut graft provided mechanical stability, and osteogenesis occurred inside the medullary canal of the host bone.Level of Evidence:Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Prospective study of managing long bone fracture nonunion: is bone graft needed in every case?

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Increased road traffic accidents lead to increased incidence of fracture of long bones. It has a tendency of non-union. Infection is very common in these cases which are an important cause of nonunion of long bone fractures. The objective of the study was to study the incidence and patterns of non-union of long bone fracture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; Hospital based prospective study was carried out at Department of Orthopedics, from June 2017 to March 2018. Patients admitted to wards of Department of Orthopedics with nonunion of long bones were included. During the study period a total of 20 cases were eligible for the present study as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; Males were more affected than females. Most commonly affected age group was 41-50 years and 61-70 years (25% each). Most commonly affected long bone was femur in 35% of the cases. Most common type of non-union was hypertrophic (50%). Most common cause of non-union was broken implant in 35% of the cases. Maximum number of patients had union in 4-6 months in 60% of the cases after surgery of previous non-union of long bones. Only four patients developed complications like shortening of the limb or persistent non-union.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; Hypertrophic non unions doesn’t require bone graft, they require only stable fixation. For removal of broken implant in hypertrophic non-union if we open the fracture site, then even the gap after debridement of fracture site shows partial segmental defect it doesn’t require bone grafting.&lt;/p&gt;

Our experience with percutaneous autologous bone marrow injection in the management of delayed and nonunion of long bone fractures

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Various modalities of treatment are available for the management of delayed and nonunion of long bone fractures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of percutaneous autologous bone marrow injection in the management of these fractures and to compare the results with studies of other authors as available in literature&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; 15 patients with delayed and nonunion of long bone fractures were studied between January 2013 to January 2015 and were followed up for a period of 1 year. The patients were clinically and radiologically evaluated at regular time intervals at follow up.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; The age of the patients ranged from 28 to 60 years with the mean age being 44.2 years. There was a male preponderance in our study with the male to female ratio being 2:1. The left side was more commonly affected as compared to the right. The mean time to radiological appearance of callus was 6.4 weeks. The mean time to clinical union was 7.33 weeks while the mean time to radiologic union was 13.4 weeks. We had a union rate of 93.3% in our series with one fracture going in for failure of union&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; Percutaneous autologous bone marrow injection is a minimally invasive, safe and cost effective option in the management of delayed and nonunion of long bone fractures and gives good functional results&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Diagnosis and management of long-bone nonunions: a nationwide survey

PurposeThere is variability among surgeons on definitions regarding the degree of bone healing of long-bone fractures. A lack of consensus may negatively affect communication between surgeons, and lead to unintended and unwanted variability in treatment of patients suffering from abnormal healing of long-bone fractures. We aimed to identify differences between surgeons regarding their views on the degree of union of long-bone fractures.MethodsWe performed a survey among 114 surgeons who worked at 11 level I trauma centers and 68 level II/III hospitals in the Netherlands. We asked them to represent their institutional colleagues and answer questions regarding their views on the definition, factors influencing bone healing, clinical practice, views on scientific evidence, and the use or need of guidelines for non-union of long-bone fractures. A total of 26 trauma surgeons and 37 orthopedic surgeons responded (59%).ResultsCompared to trauma surgeons, more orthopedic surgeons maintain 6 months as the timeframe for classifying a fracture without healing tendencies as a non-union fracture (50 vs 70%; P = 0.019). Compared to orthopedic surgeons, trauma surgeons use the bone scan (46 vs 19%; P = 0.027) and the PET scan (50 vs 5.4%; P < 0.001) more often, and consider medication use to be a factor influencing bone healing more often (92 vs 69%; P = 0.040). Furthermore, they utilize bone marrow aspiration (35 vs 11%; P = 0.029), reaming of long bones (96 vs 70%; P = 0.010), synthetic bone substitutes (31 vs 5.4%; P = 0.012), bone morphogenetic proteins (58 vs 16%; P = 0.001), and the Diamond concept (92 vs 8.1%) more often as treatment modalities for non-union of long-bone fractures. Surgeons agreed on that intramedullary nail osteosynthesis was the treatment option supported by the highest level of evidence. 80% of the respondents feel a need for a clinical guideline on the management of long-bone non-union.ConclusionThere is no consensus among surgeons on the definition, factors influencing healing, clinical practice, and scientific evidence regarding non-union of long-bone fractures. The vast majority of surgeons believe that their practice would benefit from (inter)national guidelines on this topic, and efforts should be made to reduce surgeon-to-surgeon variability in treatment recommendations and facilitate more homogenous scientific research on non-union of long-bone fractures.Level of evidenceLevel V.

Percutaneous autogenous bone marrow injection for delayed union or non-union of long bone fractures after internal fixation

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the results of percutaneous injection of autologous bone marrow in the treatment of fractures presenting with delayed union or non-union after internal fixation. MethodsThis prospective study was carried out at the Orthopeedics Department from June 2005 to June 2010. A total of 93 patients with delayed union and non-union (56 delayed unions and 37 non-unions) of the long bone were recruited from the Emergency and Outpatient Departments and treated with percutaneous autologous bone marrow injections. The clinical results of this study were rated on the basis of the criteria of union. All patients were followed for 24 months. ResultsAll the fractures (delayed union and non-union) were united within 12 weeks. Most of the patients had discomfort at the donor site for few days; none had problems of persistent pain. The results were excellent in 68.81% (64/93) of cases, good in 19.35% (18/93) of cases, and poor in 11.82% (11/93) of cases. ConclusionPercutaneous autologous bone marrow injection is an effective and safe method for the treatment of diaphyseal non-union and delayed union. Thus, it is concluded that with an adequate amount of autologous bone marrow injection, successful union in delayed union and non-union of fractures of long bones can be achieved.

Management of infected non-union of lower limb long bone fractures using ilizarov technique: a study of outcomes

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Nonunion of long bone fractures is a common condition treated by an orthopaedic surgeon. Many nonunions can be treated effectively by internal fixation with or without bone grafting but, an infected nonunion can prove to be a tough challenge. The Ilizarov method is effective in managing infected nonunion of long bones. This study aims to assess the outcome of management of infected nonunions of long bones of lower limb with Ilizarov Ring fixator using bone and functional results as per Association for the Study and Application of Methods of Ilizarov (ASAMI) Scoring System.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; We retrospectively analysed 18 patients (16 Male: 2 Female; Mean age 43.2 years) managed with Ilizarov technique for an infected tibial or femoral nonunion between 01 January 2013 and 31 December 2014. They were followed up for an average of 25.4 months after removal of fixator. They were assessed for functional and Bone (radiological) outcomes using the Association for the Study and Application of Methods of Ilizarov (ASAMI) criteria.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; 17 limbs were salvaged and union could be achieved. One limb required amputation due to severe persistent intractable infection. None required any additional skeletal stabilisation after removal of fixator frame except casting in a few patients for a period of 6 weeks. Mean time to union was 211.83 days (range 136 - 320days/median 184) or 7.01 months. As per the ASAMI score, Bone results were excellent in 10, good in 5, fair in 2 and poor in 1. Functionally 7 were graded as excellent, 6 as good, 3 as fair and 1 as poor and 1 patient underwent amputation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; The Ilizarov’s method remains one of the most versatile and successful means of achieving bone healing in infected nonunions of long bones of lower limbs with additional benefits of correcting bone defects, deformities and limb length inequalities. &lt;/p&gt;

Changes of Bone Turnover Markers in Long Bone Nonunions Treated with a Regenerative Approach

In this clinical trial, we investigated if biochemical bone turnover markers (BTM) changed according to the progression of bone healing induced by autologous expanded MSC combined with a biphasic calcium phosphate in patients with delayed union or nonunion of long bone fractures. Bone formation markers, bone resorption markers, and osteoclast regulatory proteins were measured by enzymatic immunoassay before surgery and after 6, 12, and 24 weeks. A satisfactory bone healing was obtained in 23 out of 24 patients. Nine subjects reached a good consolidation already at 12 weeks, and they were considered as the “early consolidation” group. We found that bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), C-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP), and beta crosslaps collagen (CTX) changed after the regenerative treatment, BAP and CTX correlated to the imaging results collected at 12 and 24 weeks, and BAP variation along the healing course differed in patients who had an “early consolidation.” A remarkable decrease in BAP and PICP was observed at all time points in a single patient who experienced a treatment failure, but the predictive value of BTM changes cannot be determined. Our findings suggest that BTM are promising tools for monitoring cell therapy efficacy in bone nonunions, but studies with larger patient numbers are required to confirm these preliminary results.

Augmentation of bone healing in delayed and atrophic nonunion of fractures of long bones by partially decalcified bone allograft (decal bone).

Background:Autograft from iliac crest is considered as gold standard for augmentation of bone healing in delayed and nonunion of fractures. Bone demineralized with 0.6N hydrochloric acid has shown to retain its osteoinductive capacity. We report the outcome of partially decalcified bone allograft (decal bone) in the treatment of delayed union and atrophic nonunions of bones.Materials and Methods:Twenty patients with clinicoradiological diagnosis of delayed union or atrophic nonunion of long bone fractures were included in this retrospective study. Patients at extreme of ages (<18 years and >60 years), pathological fractures, metabolic bone diseases, infected nonunion, hypertrophic nonunion and those having systemic illness like diabetes mellitus and on drugs that impair fracture healing were excluded from the study. Decal bone was prepared in the bone bank and maintained in department of orthopedics. Allografting was done in 20 patients of delayed union (9/20) and atrophic nonunion (11/20) of long bone fractures with mean age of 34 years (range 18–55 years). The bones involved were humerus (8/20), tibia (7/20) and femur (5/20). Fourteen patients underwent treatment in the form of internal fixation and allografting and six patients were operated with osteoperiosteal allografting.Results:Nineteen patients achieved union in mean time of 14.9 weeks range (range 8–20 weeks). Eight patients had serous discharge from the operative site that subsided in 11 days (range 4–21 days). One patient had pus discharge that required repeat debridement and antibiotics for 6 weeks. The fracture healed in 16 weeks.Conclusion:The partially decalcified bone allograft is an effective modality for augmentation of bone healing without complication associated with autograft like donor site morbidity, increased blood loss and increase in the surgical time.

Role of locking plates in treatment of difficult ununited fractures: a clinical study

ObjectiveTo present our experience in treatment of difficult ununited long bone fractures with locking plate MethodsRetrospective evaluation of locking plate fixation in 10 difficult nonunions of long bone fractures was done. Fixation was done with locking plate for femoral shaft fracture (3 patients) supracondylar fracture of femur (gap nonunion) fracture of clavicle fracture of both forearm bones (radius and ulna) fracture of ulna fracture of shaft of humerus fracture of tibial diaphysis and supracondylar fracture of humerus (one patient each). Five fractures had more than one previous failed internal fixation. One patient had infected nonunion which was managed by debridement with cast immobilization followed by fixation with locking plate at six weeks. Seven fractures were atrophic two were oligotrophic and one was hypertrophic. Fibular autograft was used in 2 cases and iliac crest cancellous bone graft used in all the patients ResultsMinimum follow-up was 6months (range, 6months to 2.5years). Average time for union was 3.4months (range 2.5 to 6months). None of the patients had plate-related complications or postoperative wound infections. ConclusionAlong with achieving stability with locking compression plate, meticulous soft tissue dissection, acceptable reduction, good fixation technique and bone grafting can help achieve union in difficult nonunion cases. Though locking plate does not by itself ensure bony union, we have found it to be another useful addition to our armamentarium for treating difficult fracture nonunions.

Biological Methods to Enhance Bone Healing and Fracture Repair

This article looks into normal physiological fracture healing with special emphasis on the diamond concept. A precise definition of nonunion of long bones is described. Most often inadequate fixation (too rigid or too loose) is the reason for nonunion in long bone fractures. Because a critical bone defect cannot be bridged, it may lead directly or indirectly (lack of fixation) to nonunion. Individual inadequate local biological characteristics are also often found to be the cause; poor soft tissue coverage as well as a lack of periosteum and muscle or fascia or skin defects can lead to compromised vascularity in situ. Systemic factors are now much more recognized, e.g., smoking, diabetes, and cachexia, as well as the limited impact of some medications, e.g., nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids. Today's mode of treatment for nonunion is approached in this article, and suggestions for appropriate treatment of long bone nonunion is presented.