title: Distal femur nonunion patients can expect good outcomes.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to describe our experience with distal femur nonunions and to report on the functional recovery of patients treated for these injuries. Twenty-two patients with an established distal femur nonunion were identified and followed prospectively. Results were compared with a control group consisting of 18 similar patients who had sustained an acute distal femur fracture. Compared with acute fracture patients, patients with a nonunion were more likely to have had an open fracture at initial injury (p = 0.02) and required a longer time to heal after final surgery (p = 0.054). No demographic variables were found to be predictive of complications, Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment scores, or time to union. These results show that patients with a distal femoral nonunion can expect to attain similar ultimate outcomes to patients receiving treatment for an acute distal femur fracture. Unlike the development of nonunions following other types of fracture, such as the hip, distal femur nonunions do not portend poor functional outcomes as long as bone union is achieved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Alexa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monroy
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urruela
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Paramjit
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tornetta
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Egol
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005599:Fractures, Ununited / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D020127:Recovery of Function; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult