Clinical factors and the size of the external callus in tibial shaft fractures.

The influence of clinical factors on external callus formation was investigated by prospectively studying 50 closed adult unilateral tibial shaft fractures. The fractures were treated by closed methods and all united normally within 20 weeks of injury. The callus volume and a quantitative index of size, calculated from roentgenograms, did not correlate with clinical factors such as severity of trauma, interval from fracture to weight bearing, fracture morphology, presence or absence of a fracture gap, or fracture displacement.