INFECTED TIBIAL NONUNION - GOOD RESULTS AFTER OPEN CANCELLOUS BONE-GRAFTING IN 37 CASES

We treated 37 infected tibial shaft nonunions by debridement followed by open autogenous cancellous bone grafting in a 2-stage procedure. Ad ditional surgery was done in 21 fractures including second debridement before bone grafting and/or a second limited bone grafting and/or a s plit-thickness skin grafting. All fractures healed after an average of 11 (8-16) months. During 2 years followup there were no recurrences o f the infection. Two cases of early refracture occurred, both healed f ollowing new bone grafting.