Chipping and lengthening technique for delayed unions and nonunions with shortening or bone loss.

Autologous bone graft is usually necessary for reconstruction of nonunions with shortening or bone loss. We developed a new technique to reconstruct such nonunions or delayed unions without bone grafting by chipping and lengthening of bone at the original fracture site. Five in six nonunions with shortening or bone loss could be successfully united without bone graft by using our method. The chipping and lengthening technique, which requires neither bone grafting nor change in the anatomy of muscles, is a useful technique for delayed unions and nonunions accompanied by shortening or bone loss.