2009 Routine pre-operative bone biopsy in non-union of long bones

Description: The purpose of this paper is to determine whether a pre-operative bone biopsy should be done in all cases of non-union of long bones.
Methods. We reviewed the cases of 26 adults over a period of nineteen months. [It is departmental protocol to do a routine biopsy in all cases of non-union.] Patients were classified clinically into the following groups: Group I: aseptic or clean, Group II: suspicious of infection and Group III: clinically infected.
Results. Positive cultures were found in groups I and II. Inflammatory markers did not differ significantly between the two groups. Group III could not be compared with the other groups because there was only one patient in this group.
Conclusion. A pre-operative bone biopsy should be seriously considered in non-union of long bones.
N. Motsitsi & H. van Niekerk : Routine pre-operative bone biopsy in non-union of long bones: analysis of 26 cases. The Internet Journal of Orthopedic Surgery. 2009 Volume 13 Number 1