Results of surgical treatment of nonunion of humeral shaft fracture with dynamic compression plate and cancellous bone grafting

OBJECTIVE We evaluated the treatment of nonunion of humeral shaft fracture with dynamic compression plate from January 2002 to December 2009. METHODS Twenty-two patients were treated over the study period. Trauma was the predominant cause of injury in 86.4% of the patients. RESULTS Nonunion was atrophic in 81.8% and hypertrophic in 18.2% of the individuals. There was a primary injury of the radial nerve in 27.3% of the patients. All the participants had closed fracture at presentation, and 81.2% had received previous treatment from traditional bone setters and 18.8% had failure of the conservative cast management. The average time to healing was 16 weeks. Previous treatment from traditional bone setters significantly affected the time to fracture healing (p<0.05). All fractures had successful union. CONCLUSION It was concluded that dynamic compression plating remains an effective treatment option for nonunion of humeral shaft fracture. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective study.