Aseptic non-union fracture of ulna but union fracture of radius following internal fixation procedure: A case report

Fractures of the forearm typically can be managed by surgical fixation with high success rate. However, some proportion of patients may show post-operative complications, including non-union fracture. We report a unique case of ulnar non-union but union fracture of radius which concurrently happened in a woman presenting 1 year after open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) procedure. The patient did not have any complaints but there is some swelling in the ulnar region. Intraoperative findings revealed a darkening tissue near the ulnar implants with the histopathological analysis showed infiltration of lymphocytes, polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells, histiocytes, and some giant cells. Culture from the non-union tissue of ulna also showed no growth of microorganism which suggest an aseptic case of non-union. This case was successfully managed by performing re-ORIF along with bone grafting. At the follow-up visits, there is no complaints or complications observed and union of ulna was already achieved.