%0 Journal Article
%T Pulsed electromagnetic fields for the treatment of tibial delayed unions and nonunions. A prospective clinical study and review of the literature
%A Aggelos Assiotis
%A Nick P Sachinis
%A Byron E Chalidis
%J Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1749-799x-7-24
%X We prospectively reviewed 44 patients (27 men) with a mean age of 49.6£¿¡À£¿18.4£¿years that received PEMF therapy due to tibial shaft delayed union or nonunion. In all cases, fracture gap was less than 1£¿cm and infection or soft tissue defects were absent.Fracture union was confirmed in 34 cases (77.3%). No relationship was found between union rate and age (p£¿=£¿0.819), fracture side (left or right) (p£¿=£¿0.734), fracture type (simple or comminuted, open or closed) (p£¿=£¿0.111), smoking (p£¿=£¿0.245), diabetes (p£¿=£¿0.68) and initial treatment method applied (plates, nail, plaster of paris) (p£¿=£¿0.395). The time of treatment onset didn¡¯t affect the incidence of fracture healing (p£¿=£¿0.841). Although statistical significance was not demonstrated, longer treatment duration showed a trend of increased probability of union (p£¿=£¿0.081).PEMF stimulation is an effective non-invasive method for addressing non-infected tibial union abnormalities. Its success is not associated with specific fracture or patient related variables and it couldn¡¯t be clearly considered a time-dependent phenomenon.
%K PEMF
%K Tibia
%K Fracture
%K Nonunion
%K Delayed union
%U http://www.josr-online.com/content/7/1/24/abstract