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Trauma
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Tibial Nonunion

Tibial Shaft Complications

A 42-year-old man presents 9 months after intramedullary nailing for a closed tibial shaft fracture. He continues to have weight-bearing pain. Radiographs show persistent fracture lines with sclerotic bone ends and a visible gap at the fracture site. There is no callus formation. Inflammatory markers are normal. He is a heavy smoker (30 pack-years) with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Regarding tibial nonunion classification and assessment:

Mark each as TRUE or FALSE

A

Tibial nonunion is defined as failure of fracture healing by 9 months or absence of healing progress...

B

Hypertrophic nonunion is characterised radiographically by abundant callus formation in an elephant ...

C

Atrophic nonunion shows abundant callus formation with exuberant bone reaction; it is primarily caus...

D

Risk factors for tibial nonunion include patient factors (smoking, diabetes, NSAIDs, malnutrition, v...

E

The nonunion workup includes clinical examination for pain, motion, and signs of infection; laborato...

Answer the questions to see explanations

Click T (True) or F (False) for each option