Nonunion

A history of a broken bone is usually apparent. The patient complains of persistent pain at the fracture site and may also notice abnormal movement or clicking at the level of the fracture. An X-ray plate of the fractured bone shows a persistent radiolucent line at the fracture. Callus formation may be evident but callus does not bridge across the fracture. If there is doubt about the interpretation of the x-ray, stress x-rays, tomograms or CT scan may be used for confirmation.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

The reasons for non-union are:{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

• avascular necrosis (the blood supply was interrupted by the fracture){{cite web|title=Questions and Answers about Osteonecrosis (Avascular Necrosis)|url=https://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/Osteonecrosis/default.asp|website=NIAMS|language=en|date=October 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809040514/https://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/Osteonecrosis/default.asp|archive-date=9 August 2017|df=dmy-all}}{{PD-notice}}
• the two ends are not apposed (that is, they are not next to each other)
• infection (particularly osteomyelitis){{cite web |url= https://www.lecturio.com/concepts/osteomyelitis/| title= Osteomyelitis|website=The Lecturio Medical Concept Library |access-date= 26 August 2021}}
• the fracture is not fixed (that is, the two ends are still mobile)
• soft-tissue imposition (there is muscle or ligament covering the broken ends and preventing them from touching each other)

1. Related to the person:
2. Old age.
3. Poor nutritional status.
4. Habitual nicotine and alcohol consumption.
5. Metabolic disturbances such as hyperparathyroidism.
6. Can be found in those with NF1.
7. Genetic predisposition.{{Cite journal|last1=McCoy|first1=Thomas H.|last2=Fragomen|first2=Austin T.|last3=Hart|first3=Kamber L.|last4=Pellegrini|first4=Amelia M.|last5=Raskin|first5=Kevin A.|last6=Perlis|first6=Roy H.|date=January 2019|title=Genomewide Association Study of Fracture Nonunion Using Electronic Health Records|journal=JBMR Plus|volume=3|issue=1|pages=23–28|doi=10.1002/jbm4.10063|issn=2473-4039|pmc=6339539|pmid=30680360}}
8. Related to the fracture site:
9. Soft tissue interposition.
10. Bone loss at the fracture.
11. Infection.
12. Loss of blood supply.
13. Damage of surrounding muscles.
14. Related to the treatment:
15. Inadequate reduction.
16. Insufficient immobilization.
17. Improperly applied fixation devices.

There are typically three types of nonunion described.

In a hypertrophic nonunion, the fracture site contains adequate blood supply but the fracture ends fail to heal together.{{Cite journal|last=RHINELANDER|first=FREDERIC W.|date=June 1968|title=The Normal Microcirculation of Diaphyseal Cortex and Its Response to Fracture|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/00004623-196850040-00016|journal=The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery|volume=50|issue=4|pages=784–800|doi=10.2106/00004623-196850040-00016|pmid=5658563|issn=0021-9355|url-access=subscription}} X-rays show abundant callus formation. This type of nonunion is thought to occur when the body has adequate biology, such as stem cells and blood supply, but inadequate stability, meaning the bone ends are moving too much. Typically, the treatment consists of increasing stability of the fracture site with surgical implants.{{Citation|last1=Brinker|first1=Mark R.|title=Nonunions|date=2009|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-1-4160-2220-6.10022-2|work=Skeletal Trauma|pages=615–707|publisher=Elsevier|access-date=2021-10-07|last2=O'Connor|first2=Daniel P.|doi=10.1016/b978-1-4160-2220-6.10022-2|isbn=9781416022206|url-access=subscription}}

In an atrophic nonunion, x-rays show little to no callus formation. This is usually due to impaired bony healing, for example due to vascular causes (e.g. impaired blood supply to the bone fragments) or metabolic causes (e.g. diabetes or smoking). Failure of initial union, as when bone fragments are separated by soft tissue, may also lead to an atrophic non-union. Atrophic non-unions can be treated by stimulating blood flow and encouraging healing. This is often done surgically by removing the end layer of bone to provide raw ends for healing and the use of bone grafts.{{Cite journal|last1=Binod|first1=Bijukachhe|last2=Nagmani|first2=Singh|last3=Bigyan|first3=Bhandari|last4=Rakesh|first4=John|last5=Prashant|first5=Adhikari|date=August 2016|title=Atrophic, aseptic, tibial nonunion: how effective is modified Judet's osteoperiosteal decortication technique and buttress plating?|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27317343|journal=Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery|volume=136|issue=8|pages=1069–1076|doi=10.1007/s00402-016-2488-7|issn=1434-3916|pmid=27317343|s2cid=25366783}}

As the name implies, an oligotrophic nonunion demonstrates some attempt by the body to heal the fracture. These are thought to arise from adequate biology but displacement at the fracture site.

A diagnosis of nonunion is made when the clinician feels there will be no further bone healing without intervention. The FDA defines it as a fracture at least 9 months old that has not shown any signs of radiographic healing within the last 3 months. CT scans offer a closer look at the fracture and may also be used to evaluate how much of the fracture has healed. Blood tests can evaluate if the patient has adequate levels of nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D. Blood tests can also look for markers of infection such as ESR and CRP.

File:Scaphoid-Pseudarthrose1.jpg pseudarthrosis before and after surgical fixation]]

Currently, there are different strategies to augment the bone-regeneration process, however, there is no standardised clinical treatment guideline yet.{{Cite journal|last=Calori|first=Gm|date=2017|title=Non-unions|url=https://www.ccmbm.com/common/php/portiere.php?ID=4a1eec114a9661cc9a90caf2507e769e|journal=Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism|volume=14|issue=2|pages=186–188|doi=10.11138/ccmbm/2017.14.1.186|issn=1971-3266|pmc=5726207|pmid=29263731}} Surgical treatment options include:{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

• Debridement: radical surgical removal of necrotic or infected soft tissue and bone tissue is deemed essential for the healing process.{{Cite journal|last1=Simpson|first1=A. H. R. W.|last2=Deakin|first2=M.|last3=Latham|first3=J. M.|date=April 2001|title=Chronic osteomyelitis: THE EFFECT OF THE EXTENT OF SURGICAL RESECTION ON INFECTION-FREE SURVIVAL|journal=The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. British Volume|language=en|volume=83-B|issue=3|pages=403–407|doi=10.1302/0301-620X.83B3.0830403|issn=0301-620X|doi-access=free}}
• Immobilization of the fracture with internal or external fixation. Metal plates, pins, screws, and rods, that are screwed or driven into a bone, are used to stabilize the broken bone fragments.
• Bone grafting. Filling of the bone defect resulting from debridement must be performed. Autologous bone graft is the "gold standard" treatment and possesses osteogenic, osteoinductive, and osteoconductive properties, although only a limited sample can be taken and there is a high risk of side effects.{{Cite journal|last1=Sen|first1=M.K.|last2=Miclau|first2=T.|date=March 2007|title=Autologous iliac crest bone graft: Should it still be the gold standard for treating nonunions?|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0020138307000617|journal=Injury|language=en|volume=38|issue=1|pages=S75–S80|doi=10.1016/j.injury.2007.02.012|pmid=17383488|url-access=subscription}}
• Bone graft substitutes. Inorganic bone substitutes may be used to complement or replace autologous bone grafting. The advantage is that there is no morbidity on sampling and their availability is not restricted. S53P4 bioactive glass has shown good results as a promising bone graft substitute in treatment of nonunions, due to its osteostimulative, osteoconductive and antimicrobial properties.{{Cite journal|last1=Malat|first1=Tarek Al|last2=Glombitza|first2=Martin|last3=Dahmen|first3=Janosch|last4=Hax|first4=Peter-Michael|last5=Steinhausen|first5=Eva|date=April 2018|title=The Use of Bioactive Glass S53P4 as Bone Graft Substitute in the Treatment of Chronic Osteomyelitis and Infected Non-Unions – a Retrospective Study of 50 Patients|url=http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0043-124377|journal=Zeitschrift für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie|language=de|volume=156|issue=2|pages=152–159|doi=10.1055/s-0043-124377|pmid=29665602|s2cid=263428196 |issn=1864-6697|url-access=subscription}}

In simple cases, healing may be evident within 3 months. Gavriil Ilizarov revolutionized the treatment of recalcitrant nonunions demonstrating that the affected area of the bone could be removed, the fresh ends "docked" and the remaining bone lengthened using an external fixator device.{{cite journal |vauthors=Niedzielski K, Synder M |title=The treatment of pseudarthrosis using the Ilizarov method |journal=Ortop Traumatol Rehabil |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=46–8 |year=2000 |pmid=18034140 }} The time course of healing after such treatment is longer than normal bone healing. Usually, there are signs of union within 3 months, but the treatment may continue for many months beyond that.

Bone stimulation with either electromagnetic or ultrasound waves has been suggested to reduce the healing time for non-union fractures.{{cite journal|last1=Victoria|first1=Galkowski|last2=Petrisor|first2=Brad|last3=Drew|first3=Brian|last4=Dick|first4=David|title=Bone stimulation for fracture healing: What′s all the fuss?|journal=Indian Journal of Orthopaedics|volume=43|issue=2|year=2009|pages=117–20|issn=0019-5413|doi=10.4103/0019-5413.50844|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |doi-access=free|pmid=19838359|pmc=2762251}} The proposed mechanism of action is by stimulating osteoblasts and other proteins that form bones using these modalities. The evidence supporting the use of ultrasound and shockwave therapy for improving unions is very weak{{cite journal |last1=Leighton|first1= R. |last2= Watson |first2=J.T |last3= Giannoudis|first3=P.|last4=Papakostidis|first4=C.|last5=Harrison|first5=A. |last6=Steen|first6=R.G. |title= Healing of fracture nonunions treated with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS): A systematic review and meta-analysis|journal=Injury|volume= 48 |date=May 2017|issue=7|pages=1339–1347|pmid= 28532896|doi= 10.1016/j.injury.2017.05.016 |url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/116543/8/1-s2.0-S0020138317303418-main.pdf|doi-access=free}} and it is likely that these approaches do not make a clinically significant difference for a delayed union or non-union.{{Cite journal |last1=Searle |first1=Henry Kc |last2=Lewis |first2=Sharon R. |last3=Coyle |first3=Conor |last4=Welch |first4=Matthew |last5=Griffin |first5=Xavier L. |date=2023-03-03 |title=Ultrasound and shockwave therapy for acute fractures in adults |url= |journal=The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |volume=2023 |issue=3 |pages=CD008579 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD008579.pub4 |issn=1469-493X |pmc=9983300 |pmid=36866917 }}

By definition, a nonunion will not heal if left alone. Therefore, the patient's symptoms will not be improved and the function of the limb will remain impaired. It will be painful to bear weight on it and it may be deformed or unstable. The prognosis of nonunion if treated depends on many factors including the age and general health of the patient, the time since the original injury, the number of previous surgeries, smoking history, the patient's ability to cooperate with the treatment. In the region of 80% of nonunions heal after the first operation. The success rate with subsequent surgeries is less.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

• Distraction osteogenesis

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Pseudarthrosis}}

• [http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=478&topcategory=General%20Information AAOS]

{{Medical resources

| DiseasesDB =

| ICD10 = {{ICD10|M|84|1|m|80}}, {{ICD10|M|96|0|m|95}}

| ICD9 =

| ICDO =

| OMIM =

| MedlinePlus =

| eMedicineSubj =

| eMedicineTopic =

| meshName =

| meshNumber = C21.866.404.468.627

}}

{{Osteochondropathy}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Bone fractures

Category:Osteopathies