Treatment of humeral nonunions with the Ilizarov technique

Eighteen patients with nonunions of the humerus were treated by the Ilizarov method at the General Hospital in Lecco, Italy, between 1982-1989. This report is based upon 16 of those patients. The results are encouraging. Union was achieved in 14 patients. There were two failures: one patient had been irradiated 14 years earlier for what was thought to be plasmocytoma of the proximal humerus; the other had a humeral nonunion of the proximal third with advanced disuse osteopenia of the surrounding bone. Complications were few, and none compromised the achievement of union.