Nonunion – consensus from the 4th annual meeting of the Danish Orthopaedic Trauma Society
Date
2020-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Bioscientifica
Abstract
Nonunions are a relevant economic burden affecting about 1.9% of all fractures. Rather than specifying a certain time frame, a nonunion is better defined as a fracture that will not heal without further intervention.
Successful fracture healing depends on local biology, biomechanics and a variety of systemic factors. All components can principally be decisive and determine the classification of atrophic, oligotrophic or hypertrophic nonunions. Treatment prioritizes mechanics before biology.
The degree of motion between fracture parts is the key for healing and is described by strain theory. If the change of length at a given load is > 10%, fibrous tissue and not bone is formed. Therefore, simple fractures require absolute and complex fractures relative stability.
The main characteristics of a nonunion are pain while weight bearing, and persistent fracture lines on X-ray.
Treatment concepts such as ‘mechanobiology’ or the ‘diamond concept’ determine the applied osteosynthesis considering soft tissue, local biology and stability. Fine wire circular external fixation is considered the only form of true biologic fixation due to its ability to eliminate parasitic motions while maintaining load-dependent axial stiffness. Nailing provides intramedullary stability and biology via reaming. Plates are successful when complex fractures turn into simple nonunions demanding absolute stability. Despite available alternatives, autograft is the gold standard for providing osteoinductive and osteoconductive stimuli.
The infected nonunion remains a challenge. Bacteria, especially staphylococcus species, have developed mechanisms to survive such as biofilm formation, inactive forms and internalization. Therefore, radical debridement and specific antibiotics are necessary prior to reconstruction.
Description
CITATION: Schmal, H. et al. 2020. Nonunion – consensus from the 4th annual meeting of the Danish Orthopaedic Trauma Society. EFORT Open Reviews, 5:46-57, doi:10.1302/2058-5241.5.190037.
The original publication is available at https://eor.bioscientifica.com
The original publication is available at https://eor.bioscientifica.com
Keywords
Fractures -- Treatment, Internal fixation in fractures, Trauma
Citation
Schmal, H. et al. 2020. Nonunion – consensus from the 4th annual meeting of the Danish Orthopaedic Trauma Society. EFORT Open Reviews, 5:46-57, doi:10.1302/2058-5241.5.190037.