Treatment of humeral diaphyseal nonunions by interlocked nailing and autologous bone grafting.

Twenty seven patients with humeral diaphyseal nonunion treated with interlocked nailing and autogenous bone grafting were retrospectively assessed. The mean age was 37 years (28 to 59 years). There were 16 women and 11 men. An average of 11 months (8 to 36 months) had elapsed between the initial trauma or treatment and presentation in our clinic. The nonunion site was in the distal third of the humerus in 18 patients (66%) and in the middle third in 9 (34%). Seventeen (73%) had hypertrophic and 10 (37%) atrophic nonunion. Patients were treated with locked intramedullary nailing and autogenous cancellous bone grafting. The mean follow-up was 42 months (28 to 62 months), and the mean time to union was 4.8 months (2.5 to 11 months). Three patients developed superficial infection. Union was achieved in all cases but one, in which there was multiple nerve injury. According to Steward and Hundley's scoring, results were good in 24 patients, fair in 2, and poor in one. Interlocked nailing and autologous bone grafting has a good rate of union provided nails of appropriate diameter are used and distal and proximal locking is performed correctly. We think that its low rate of infection, low risk of injury to the radial nerve, and low requirement for soft tissue dissection make it a suitable choice in the treatment of nonunions of the humeral diaphysis.