Journal of Nippon Medical School: Vol.68 No.2 page.149

Journal of Nippon Medical School

Select Language
in Japanese < > in English

Full Text of this Article

in English PDF (56K)

ArticleTitle The Efficacy of Ununited Tibial Fracture Treatment Using Pulsing Electromagnetic Fields -Relation to Biological Activity on Nonunion Bone Ends-

AuthorList Hiromoto Ito and Yasumasa Shirai

Affiliation Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical School

Language EN

Volume 68

Issue 2

Year 2001

Page 149-153

Received July 27, 2000

Accepted September 14, 2000

Keywords ununited fracture, tibia, pulsing electromagnetic field therapy, nonunion

Abstract Thirty ununited tibial fractures with a median time since injury of 18±9 months were treated by electrical stimulation using pulsing electromagnetic field therapy. Union was achieved in 25 cases (83.3%) in a median interval of 8.6±3.2 months. Patient age and gender, the presence of surgical hardware, length of disability, and the number of surgical procedures did not affect the outcome. Ununited fractures that appeared to be hypertrophic or sclerotic type radiographically, indicating a good blood supply to the bone ends, all healed. Treatment failures occurred only among lesions with a poor blood supply, and in necrotic or defective radiopraphic types. Pulsing electromagnetic field therapy is an effective treatment for ununited tibial fractures with good blood supply to the bone ends.

Correspondence to Hiromoto Ito, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical Scool, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan

ArticleTitle	The Efficacy of Ununited Tibial Fracture Treatment Using Pulsing Electromagnetic Fields -Relation to Biological Activity on Nonunion Bone Ends-
AuthorList	Hiromoto Ito and Yasumasa Shirai
Affiliation	Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical School
Language	EN
Volume	68
Issue	2
Year	2001
Page	149-153
Received	July 27, 2000
Accepted	September 14, 2000
Keywords	ununited fracture, tibia, pulsing electromagnetic field therapy, nonunion
Abstract	Thirty ununited tibial fractures with a median time since injury of 18±9 months were treated by electrical stimulation using pulsing electromagnetic field therapy. Union was achieved in 25 cases (83.3%) in a median interval of 8.6±3.2 months. Patient age and gender, the presence of surgical hardware, length of disability, and the number of surgical procedures did not affect the outcome. Ununited fractures that appeared to be hypertrophic or sclerotic type radiographically, indicating a good blood supply to the bone ends, all healed. Treatment failures occurred only among lesions with a poor blood supply, and in necrotic or defective radiopraphic types. Pulsing electromagnetic field therapy is an effective treatment for ununited tibial fractures with good blood supply to the bone ends.
Correspondence to	Hiromoto Ito, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nippon Medical Scool, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan