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. 1995 Sep-Oct;19(5):777-81.

Tibial shaft fractures: assessment of fracture healing with computed tomography

P Schnarkowski  1 , J Rédei, C G Peterfy, W Weidenmaier, W Mutschler, M Arand, M F Reiser
Affiliations
  • PMID: 7560325

Tibial shaft fractures: assessment of fracture healing with computed tomography

P Schnarkowski et al. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 1995 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the capability of CT in assessing stability of tibial shaft fractures with planimetry.

Materials and methods: Eighteen patients with fracture of the tibial shaft were treated by external fixator. All patients underwent CT 1, 6, 12, and 18 weeks postoperatively to assess the fracture healing. The callus formation and compacta were determined with planimetry. Fractometry, a noninvasive method to measure stability, was used as the gold standard to determine the stability of the fracture.

Results: The patients were divided into three groups according to different periods of time for removal of external fixation. Twelve patients with stable fractures showed a steady increase of callus, which was 50% higher after 12 weeks. Three patients with delayed fracture healing demonstrated an increase of callus of > 50% after 18 weeks. Three patients with unstable fractures obtained only callus formation of < 20% after 15-18 weeks. The external fixator was removed and endomedullary nails were used for stabilization.

Conclusion: The CT data allow quantification of callus and compacta formation and are able to determine the stability of tibial shaft fractures.

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