J Korean Orthop Assoc.  1998 Dec;33(7):1822-1826.

Contributing Factors for Nonunion in Open Tibial Fractures Treated with External Fixation

• Oh CW
• Kyung HS
• Park BC
• Kim SY
• Park GW

Abstract

We analyzed the factors of importance for nonunion in series of 91 open fractures of tibial diaphysis which were treated with external fixation. Factors analyzed included, age and sex of the patients, the mechanism of injury, the amount of soft tissue damage, the grade of comminution, the level at which the tibia was fractured, the presence of an intact fibula, the presence of the multiple injuries, the type of the external fixation used(AO external fixator, EXTOR; monotube external fixator, Ilizarov), and the need to supplement the stability of the reduction. We found that the amount of soft tissue damage and comminution of the fracture played a role in the development of the nonunion.

Keyword

Tibia; Open fracture; External fixation; Nonunion

MeSH Terms

Diaphyses
External Fixators
Fibula
Fractures, Open
Humans
Multiple Trauma
Tibia
Tibial Fractures*