title: Treatment of humeral shaft nonunion by external fixation: a valuable option.
abstract: We report the treatment of six patients with nonunion of the humerus, using a unilateral fixator and bone grafting. Union was obtained in all patients, with an average time to union of 4.5 months. Superficial pin tract infection was seen in five patients, but resolved uneventfully. One patient had transient radial nerve palsy. The results, according to the Stewart and Hundley criteria, were excellent in one patient, good in three, fair in one, and poor in one. The main cause of the fair and poor results was marked limitation of shoulder and elbow motion. This method, however, seems to be therapeutically effective.
authors.affiliation: Service of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Miguel Servet University Hospital, C/Calamita, s/n, Zaragoza 50009, Spain.
authors.lastname: Martínez AA
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cuenca
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martínez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016267:External Fixators; D005260:Female; D005592:Fracture Fixation; D005599:Fractures, Ununited / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D006810:Humeral Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged