Effectiveness of double locking plate fxation with autogenous bone graft for the treatment of femoral shaft aseptic nonunion

Objective To assess the effectiveness of double locking plate fxation with autogenous bone graft for the treatment of femoral shaft aseptic nonunion. Methods Twenty-one patients(15 males and 6 females with the average age of 46.9 years, ranging from 25-81 years) with aseptic nonunion of femoral shaft fracture were treated with double locking plate with autogenous bone graft between January 2009 and January 2013, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. According to the Weber-Cech classifcation, 14 cases were rated as atrophic nonunion, and 7 cases as hypertrophic nonunion. All patients were followed up over 6 months and assessed postoperatively by short form-36 health survey (SF-36). Results Osseous union was observed clinically and radiographically in all patients, and no related complications were noted postoperatively. Average scores of the physical function and bodily pain dimensions of the SF-36 were 96 (range, 90–99) and 94.2 (range, 92–99), respectively. Conclusion Due to the high union rates and low complication rates in our study, double locking plate fxation with autogenous bone graft can serve as an effective method of femoral shaft nonunion.