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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Creating Rigidly Stabilized Fractures for Assessing Intramembranous Ossification, Distraction Osteogenesis, or Healing of Critical Sized Defects
Published on: April 11, 2012
Non-union in osteogenesis imperfecta
Vineet Agarwal1, Benjamin Joseph
1Pediatric Orthopaedic Service, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Abstract:
A retrospective study of 44 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta treated over a 14-year period was undertaken to determine the frequency and pattern of non-unions of long bones in these patients. Nine non-unions were encountered in eight patients. Four of these non-unions developed at sites of osteotomies performed at the time of intramedullary rodding. These children have remained asymptomatic, however, without appreciable limitations in spite of the non-union. Five atrophic or gap non-unions that occurred in the humerus were following inadequately treated fractures. These children were disabled on account of the non-unions. In three patients all attempts at obtaining union failed. The other two patients were braced. We conclude that non-union in osteogenesis imperfecta is not a very rare phenomenon. We also recommend that all fractures in children with osteogenesis imperfecta must be treated with appropriate immobilization to prevent a gap non-union developing, since gap non-unions are exceedingly difficult to treat.
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