Results of surgical treatment of nonunion of humeral shaft fracture with dynamic compression plate and cancellous bone grafting

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the treatment of nonunion of humeral shaft fracture with dynamic compression plate from January 2002 to December 2009. METHODS: Twenty-two patients were treated over the study period. Trauma was the predominant cause of injury in 86.4% of the patients. RESULTS: Nonunion was atrophic in 81.8% and hypertrophic in 18.2% of the individuals. There was a primary injury of the radial nerve in 27.3% of the patients. All the participants had closed fracture at presentation, and 81.2% had received previous treatment from traditional bone setters and 18.8% had failure of the conservative cast management. The average time to healing was 16 weeks. Previous treatment from traditional bone setters significantly affected the time to fracture healing (p<0.05). All fractures had successful union. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that dynamic compression plating remains an effective treatment option for nonunion of humeral shaft fracture. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective study.