Surgical treatment of infected pseudarthrosis of the humerus

The authors report 16 cases of infected lesions of the humerus with delayed consolidation or pseudarthrosis. The treatment consisted of radical surgical debridement, freshening of the bone fragments with removal of all necrotic tissue, and stabilisation with a Hoffmann-Vidal external fixation device. Healing occurred between 3 and 6 months after operation. The one case of failure was attributable to inappropriate technique (inadequate resection of the ends of the fragments).