Autologous marrow injection as a substitute for operative grafting of tibial nonunions
Connolly, J.F.; Guse, R.; Tiedeman, J.; Dehne, R.
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 266: 259-270
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0009-921X PMID: 2019059 Document Number: 377361
Autologous marrow injection was used to stimulate healing in 20 ununited tibial fractures over a five-year period. The technique was employed in conjunction with cast immobilization in ten cases and intramedullary nail fixation in ten cases. Marrow stimulated a callus formation sufficient to unite eight of the ten nonunions immobilized with casts and all ten of the fractures immobilized by intramedullary nails. Bone-marrow injection was as effective as past open autologous grafting but with considerably fewer disadvantages. The technique provides a promptly renewable and reliable source of osteogenic stem cells with numerous advantages compared with standard open-grafting techniques.