Background: Failure of the fixators is a challenging, especially in the presence of osteoporosis, bone defect, pin track infection and joint stiffness. This study aims at evaluating the functional outcomes of the lower limb proposed two-stage management of non-union after failed ring external fixation.Patients and Methods: 15 patients (six females) with age range 22-65 years enrolled in this study. Four had femoral fractures and eleven with tibial fractures. All were due to high-energy trauma and all were open ones (3 grade (I), 8 grade (II) and 4 grade (III)). Categorised AO classification, 5 type (A), 4 type (B) and 6 type (C). They initially treated by ring external fixators and had radiological signs of non-union. Treatment involved removal of external fixators, pin track and blood tests until no active infection. Non-union managed by refreshing the fracture ends, opening the medullary canal, packing the non-union with autogenous bone grafts then realigning the fracture properly and stabilizing it with locked plate or interlocking nail.Results: Average duration of nonunion 9.8 months. Average delay prior to osteosynthesis after removal of external fixation 15 days. All non-unions healed on an average 5.2 months. According to the Karlstrom-Olerud scores, final functional outcome score was excellent 7cases, good 5 cases, accepted 2 cases and poor one case.Conclusions: Two-stage treatment of non-union of long bone after ring fixation is an effective tool and may be a favorable option with low risk of complications and a high level of functional outcomes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.