The Contributing Factors of Nonunion Bone Fractures: A Brief Review

The skeletal system has a high healing capacity. A nonunion fracture occurs when the natural course of bone healing is impaired. Numerous local and systemic factors participate in the development of a nonunion fracture. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking history, obesity, and malnutrition are at risk for nonunion. Moreover, the major local risk factors for impaired bone healing are malalignment, infection, mechanical stability, and tissue loss. In this brief review, we discuss the definition, epidemiology, and diagnosis of nonunion. We further explain the major contributing factors which must be considered in patient selection for nonunion revision surgeries.