Treatment of nonunion of fractures in the epiphyseal-metaphyseal region of long bones.

Twenty-four consecutive patients with fracture nonunion in the metaphyseal-epiphyseal areas of long bones were surgically treated. Average time from injury to treatment of the nonunion was 10 months, and average follow-up time after surgical treatment was 29 months. Eight patients with infected nonunions had initial debridement procedures; three of these patients then had placement of external fixators and bone grafting. The remaining five patients and 13 others were then treated by open reduction and internal fixation alone or with the addition of autogenous cancellous bone grafting. Single or double plates and screws were used. Arthrolysis, joint manipulation, and intensive postsurgical exercises were considered necessary to regain joint function. One patient underwent a hemiarthroplasty, and two others underwent arthrodesis as the initial nonunion treatment. Twenty of the 21 patients not treated by arthrodesis or arthroplasty healed their fractures in an average time of 7 months. Fifty-two percent of the patients achieved good or excellent range of motion (ROM) of the contiguous joint, with 70% of the patients reporting no pain in this joint. These fractures have excellent intrinsic healing capability because they occur in anatomical regions with a normally abundant circulation. We recommend stable fixation, with the need for bone grafting only in defect nonunions, together with intra- and postoperative joint mobilization to obtain a satisfactory functional end result.