ArticleJournal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma
Radiographic union score for tibia fractures predicts success with operative treatment of tibial nonunion.
Article in Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Randomized controlled trial to compare functional outcomes between Locking compression Plates and Retrograde Intramedullary Nails in distal femur fractures.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2026Article
- Osseous union after antibiotic cement application with retention of stable orthopaedic hardware in fracture-related infections without union.OTA international : the open access journal of orthopaedic trauma · 2025Article
- Fracture nonunion and delayed union.Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America · 2024Article
- Polytherapy versus monotherapy in the treatment of tibial non-unions: a retrospective study.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2024Article
- Analysis of risk factors and development of a nomogram-based prediction model for defective bony non-union.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Extracorporeal shock wave treatment for post‑surgical fracture nonunion: Insight into its mechanism, efficacy, safety and prognostic factors (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2023Review
- Functional assessment of long bone fracture healing in Samburu County Referral Hospital (Kenya): the squat and smile challenge.OTA international : the open access journal of orthopaedic trauma · 2021Article
- Updates in postoperative imaging modalities following musculoskeletal surgery.Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma · 2021Review
- Functional and Radiological Outcome Analysis of Osteoperiosteal Decortication Flap in Nonunion of Tibia.Advances in orthopedics · 2021Article
- Imaging Modalities to Assess Fracture Healing.Current osteoporosis reports · 2020Review
- Epidemiology, Clinical Assessments, and Current Treatments of Nonunions.Current osteoporosis reports · 2020Review
- Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of preoperative and postoperative radiographic union scores for tibia fractures (RUST) to predict treatment success of tibia fracture nonunion. MATERIALS AND
methodsPatients presenting for operative treatment of tibia fracture nonunion were enrolled in a prospective data registry. Enrolled patients were followed at regular intervals for 12 months. Preoperative and 12 week postoperative radiographs were reviewed and scored using the RUST criteria. Postoperative time to union was determined by clinical and radiographic measures. Multivariate regressions were conducted to predict time to union using preoperative and postoperative RUST while controlling for treatment method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was conducted to determine the accuracy of preoperative RUST in predicting failure of treatment.
resultsSixty-eight patients with aseptic tibia fracture nonunion treated operatively were identified. Sixty-one patients achieved union. Mean preoperative RUST was 7.5 (SD 1.4). Mean postoperative RUST was 9.2 (SD 1.4). Multivariate linear regressions demonstrated that preoperative (p = 0.043) and postoperative (p = 0.007) RUST are significant predictors of time to union after tibia fracture nonunion surgery. ROC curve demonstrated preoperative RUST below 7 was a good predictor of developing persistent tibia fracture nonunion (AUC = 0.83, Sensitivity = 1.000, Specificity = 0.745).
conclusionsRUST preoperatively and postoperatively predicts outcome after nonunion surgery. RUST can be used as part of the complete clinical picture to shape patient expectations and guide treatment.
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