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Nonunion and Osteomyelitis Following Fractures

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Orthopedics in Disasters

Abstract

Natural disasters generate often high-energy trauma, leading to fractures of the bones and significant damage to the surrounding soft tissues. Bone is the only tissue that can heal without scar formation; however, this prerequisites optimum conditions. The higher the energy of the trauma, the less optimum conditions for healing occur. Knowledge of normal bone healing and the reasons for nonunion and osteomyelitis may help the surgeon to better plan the management of these complications. The lack of a normal healing process during the inflammation phase leads to an atrophic nonunion, whereas it leads to a hypertrophic nonunion if it occurs during the bone healing repair phase.

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Correspondence to Mehmet Kocaoglu MD .

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Kocaoglu, M., Eralp, I.L., Bilen, F.E. (2016). Nonunion and Osteomyelitis Following Fractures. In: Wolfson, N., Lerner, A., Roshal, L. (eds) Orthopedics in Disasters. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48950-5_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-48950-5_34

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