Assessment of fracture healing in orthopaedic trauma

Fracture healing is a complex physiologic process, relying on the crucial interplay between biological and mechanical factors, that finally results in the “restitutio ad integrum” of the injured bone [1,2]. Two different types of bone healing have been classically described, i.e. direct and indirect fracture healing [3].  Direct fracture healing typically occurs in fractures undergoing anatomical reduction and stable fixation, often achieved with plates and inter-fragmentary screws [4]. In relative stability constructs and in fractures conservatively managed, on the other hand, indirect bone healing is the prevalent healing mechanism, thus leading to the development of a bone callus, detectable on plain radiographs [5].

Source: Injury - November 7, 2020 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Davide Bizzoca, Giovanni Vicenti, Vincenzo Caiaffa, Antonella Abate, Oronzo De Carolis, Massimiliano Carrozzo, Giuseppe Solarino, Biagio Moretti Source Type: research