Causes and treatments of non-union and delayed union of fractures / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the causes of non-union and delayed union of fractures and to report the surgical techniques and outcomes of the treatments. Methods 107 cases of non-union, 54 cases of delayed union and 2 cases of congenital non-union of tibia were treated between July 1990 and December 2004 in our hospital. The treatments were evaluated retrospectively to analyze the causes of the disorder and the treatment outcomes at the follow-up. 18 cases of delayed union were treated conservatively while the other 145 cases in this series underwent surgery. Results Except in the 2 cases of congenital non-union of tibia, iatrogenic factors were found to be responsible for nonunion or delayed union in all the other 161 cases. 153 cases were followed up for an average of 17 (6 to 28) months only to reveal bone union in all the cases with a mean healing time of 10 (6 to 14) months. All the limbs regained good function. Conclusion Since development of non-union and delayed union of fractures chiefly result from iatrogenic technical defects, satisfactory results can be achieved as long as appropriate treatments are performed according to different etiological factors.