Comparative study of the use of electromagnetic fields in patients with pseudoarthrosis of tibia treated by intramedullary nailing

We made a comparative cohort study in patients suffering from tibial pseudoarthrosis, all of whom were treated by intramedullary nailing. We divided patients into two groups: one treated by intramedullary nailing only (control group) and the other by intramedullary nailing combined with pulsed elect...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International orthopaedics 2010-03, Vol.34 (3), p.437-440
Main Authors: Cebrián, Juan L., Gallego, Pilar, Francés, Alberto, Sánchez, Piedad, Manrique, Elena, Marco, Fernando, López-Durán, Luis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bone Nails
Cohort Studies
Combined Modality Therapy
Electromagnetic Fields
Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary - instrumentation
Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary - methods
Fracture Healing
Fractures
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Original Paper
Orthopedics
Pseudarthrosis - etiology
Pseudarthrosis - therapy
Retrospective Studies
Tibia
Tibial Fractures - complications
Tibial Fractures - therapy
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We made a comparative cohort study in patients suffering from tibial pseudoarthrosis, all of whom were treated by intramedullary nailing. We divided patients into two groups: one treated by intramedullary nailing only (control group) and the other by intramedullary nailing combined with pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs). The study included 57 cases of tibial pseudoarthrosis in 57 patients from February 1987 to February 2002. Pseudoarthrosis was treated surgically in all cases (Grosse-Kempf dynamic intramedullary nailing). This was combined with PEMFs in 22 cases. The average age was 38.3 years (range 14–89 years) and the average duration of follow-up was 27.2 months (range 12–48 months). Forty-nine fractures (86%) healed and eight (14%) did not. Of the group treated with PEMFs, 20 (91%) healed and two (9%) did not; from the group that did not receive PEMF (35), 29 (83%) healed compared to six (17%) that did not. The relationship between union and use of PEMFs, and between time to union and use of PEMFs was clinically relevant. PEMFs are useful when treating tibial pseudoarthrosis. Its noninvasive nature means that there are more complication-free unions.
ISSN:0341-2695
1432-5195
DOI:10.1007/s00264-009-0806-1