Patterns of union in fractures of the waist of the scaphoid

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Dias JJ. Brenkel IJ. Finlay DB. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery - British Volume. 71(2):307-10, 1989 Mar. Eighty-two of 85 patients who had sustained a fracture of the waist of the scaphoid in 1985 were reviewed more than one year after injury. The incidence of nonunion, defined as a clear gap at the fracture site one year after injury, was 12.3%. This was much higher than expected. Most of the patients with nonunion had symptoms and had appreciable restriction of wrist movement. In a further 25% of the patients at review, the site of the fracture could be easily identified although it appeared to have healed. These patients were older and more of them were women. Three -quarters of these patients had symptoms but their wrist movement was essentially normal.