Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
A Mouse Distraction Osteogenesis Model
Published on: November 14, 2018
Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound shortens the treatment time in tibial distraction osteogenesis
Khaled Hamed Salem1, Andreas Schmelz
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Kasr El-Aini Street, 11562, Cairo, Egypt, khaled_hamedsalem@hotmail.com.
Purpose:
Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been used successfully to accelerate healing of fresh fractures and non-unions. It also improved callus maturation with distraction osteogenesis in animal trials. However, only few clinical studies are available to support its widespread use for the latter indication in humans.
Methods:
Twenty-one patients undergoing callus distraction for posttraumatic tibial defects were randomized into two groups: the trial group (12 men; mean age 32 years) which received 20 minutes LIPUS daily during treatment and the control group (six men and three women; mean age 29 years) without LIPUS treatment. The Ilizarov ring fixator was used in all cases. Results were examined clinically and radiologically, analysing callus maturation with a computer-assisted measurement.
Results:
Patients in the LIPUS group needed a mean of 33 days to consolidate every 1 cm of new bone in comparison to 45 days in the control group. The healing index was therefore shortened by 12 days/cm in the LIPUS group. This means that callus maturation was 27 % faster in the LIPUS group. The fixator time was shortened by 95 days in the LIPUS group. The overall daily increase in radiographic callus density was 33 % more in the LIPUS group than in the control group.
Conclusions:
LIPUS treatment is an effective non-invasive adjuvant method to enhance callus maturation in distraction osteogenesis. With the help of this treatment, the healing time and the duration of external fixation can be reliably shortened.
