Effect of concomitant deformity correction on patient outcomes following femoral (OTA type 32) nonunion repair

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine what effect, if any, concomitant deformity correction has on outcomes following femoral nonunion repair.Methods: 605 consecutive patients who presented to our center with a long bone nonunion treated by one of 3 surgeons was queried. Sixty-two patients (10 %) with complete follow up were treated for a fracture nonunion following a Type 32 femur fracture (subtrochanteric, femoral shaft or distal third metaphysis) over an 11-year period. Twenty of these patients underwent a deformity correction (DC)-angular, rotational, or a combination of both-as part of their femoral reconstruction. Patient demographics and initial injury information was reviewed and compared. Outcomes including radiographic healing, time to union, postoperative complications, patient reported pain scores, and functional outcome scores using the Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment (SMFA) were recorded. Patients with and without deformity correction were analyzed and compared using independent T-tests and Chi-Square tests.Results: Compared to the non-deformity correction (NDC) cohort, the DC cohort demonstrated a worse complication profile. Notably, the DC cohort had longer time to union (11.6 +/- 7.3 months vs 7.6 +/- 8.5 months, P = 0.042), reported significantly higher VAS pain scores at 1-year post-op (4.2 +/- 2.8 vs 2.3 +/- 2.6, P = 0.007), experienced more complications (25 % vs 4.8 %, P = 0.019), and had a higher rate of secondary procedures (30 % vs 4.8 %, P = 0.006). The DC patients reported less improvement in functional capability as displayed by a smaller average improvement in initial and final SMFA scores (P = 0.042) There was no difference in ultimate bone healing (P = 0.585), baseline SMFA (P = 0.294), and latest SMFA (P = 0.066).Conclusion: Deformity correction, if needed as part of femoral nonunion repair, is associated with an increased time to heal, greater rate of complications and diminished improvement of functionality. Eventual healing and patient reported outcomes were similar whether a deformity correction is necessary or not. Level of Evidence: III