Undisplaced fractures of both the diaphysis and the lateral end of the clavicle have a high rate of union, and the functional outcomes are good after nonoperative treatment. Nonoperative treatment of displaced shaft fractures may be associated with a higher rate of nonunion and functional deficits than previously reported. However, it remains difficult to predict which patients will have these ...

INTRODUCTION Severe injuries of the hand or single fingers require immediate treatment but surgical fixation methods are limited depending on soft tissue damage. Thus, it is very common that severe soft tissue damage along with poor osteosynthetic bone fixation results in a delayed healing process or nonunion. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been proven to stimulate bone formation i...

Treatment methods for delayed union and nonunion of atypical femoral fracture are still controversial. Moreover, no treatment method has been established for implant rupture caused by delayed union and nonunion. We encountered a 74-year-old female in whom nonunion-induced implant rupture occurred after treatment of atypical subtrochanteric femoral fracture with internal fixation using a long fe...

The natural history and treatment of scaphoid fractures and subsequent nonunions have occupied a substantial portion of the orthopaedic literature. The authors examine the role of modern diagnostic tools in making an earlier diagnosis of scaphoid nonunion, in more accurately determining the displacement and angulation of the fragments, and in identifying the presence of avascular necrosis. They...

Primary sternal osteomyelitis is a rare clinical entity generally caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Although rare it carries significant morbidity including spread to mediastinal structures and even mortality. Diagnosis is generally made on clinical suspicion in a patient with and anterior chest pain and swelling, fever and raised inflammatory markers. Management is gene...

Objective: The exquisite bone detail offered by computed tomography makes it the ideal modality for evaluation of bone healing. However, few studies have investigated the normal computed tomographic appearance of the sternum after median sternotomy and, to the best of our knowledge, no computed tomographic classification of sternal healing has been proposed. Given the potential benefit of objec...

BACKGROUND The main objective of this study will be to determine the effects of a new advanced sternum external fixation (Stern-E-Fix) corset on prevention of sternal instability and mediastinitis in high-risk patients. METHODS This prospective, randomized study (January 2009 - June 2011) comprised 750 male patients undergoing standard median sternotomy for cardiac procedures (78% CABG). Pati...

A three day old neonate was referred to our department with a problem of a sternal cleft. Sternal clefts are often associated with a myriad of other abnormalities ranging from mild to severe. We present our experience with such a problem, and review the current literature concerning it.