Results of the Treatment of Infected Nonunions of the Lower Limbs Using the Ilizarov Method.

BACKGROUND: Infected nonunion is a complex complication of the treatment of long bone fractures. An in creased incidence of injuries, including high energy injuries (often open ones), contributes to a higher incidence of nonunion. These primarily infected injuries cause osteomyelitis, which prevents bone union, resulting in an infected nonunion. The Ilizarov method meets the biological and biomechanical treatment requirements, opti mising the process of inflammation healing and producing bone union.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 54 patients were treated in 2000-2014 for nonunion in the lower limbs with the Ilizarov method, which was used after previous treatment had failed. The subjects underwent intra operative resection of the locus of infection, sequestrectomy and a Judet procedure, followed by the use of the Ilizarov apparatus and bone transport, depending on the defect.

RESULTS: Inflammation healed in 52 patients (96%) and bone union was achieved in 46 patients (86%). Good outcomes with healed inflammation and bone union were reported in 76% of the cases, fair outcomes with tem porary elimination of the inflammation and without bone union in 16%, and poor outcomes without inflam ma tion healing and without bone union in 7%.

CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of infected nonunion can only be effective after eliminating endogenous inflamma tory foci, covering skin defects, ensuring a good condition of the skin and soft tissues, restoring normal blood supply to the bone fragments, and good biomechanical fixation of the fragments with dynamisation or compression. The Ilizarov method is a method of choice in the treatment of cases of infected nonunion where other treatments have failed.