EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK-WAVE TREATMENT FOR D ISTURBED BONE HEALING - A CRITICAL-VIEW

Since the late 1980s, experiments have been performed to influence phy siologic and disturbed healing of bone. However, the mainly negative r esults of animal studies, cannot be applied to the human nonunion situ ation as long as there is no adequate animal pseudarthrosis model. Pro spective clinical studies in various centres have resulted in success rates of more than 50%, although the majority of patients had been tre ated repeatedly and ineffectively with the gold standard of re-osteosy nthesis and grafting. Since the mechanisms are not yet understood, onl y such desperate conditions are an indication for the application of h igh-energy extracorporal shock waves.