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Abstract

Objective: To determine the outcome of chipping method in the treatment of long bones complex non-union with autologous bone graft. Patients and Methods: This interventional study was conducted in orthopedics and trauma department Khyber teaching hospital, Peshawar. Duration of this study was January 2015 to January 2016. The consecutive nonprobability technique was used to collect the samples and twenty-one patients were managed with chipping method for complex non-union of long bones. All the patients were treated by appropriate fracture fixation, including revision of implants. and followed for at least 06 months postoperatively. Results: A total of 21 patients were included in the study among which 14(66.67%) were males and 7(33.33 %) were females. Mean age of the patients was 44 years (Range 20 to 80 years). Among them 13 patients had femoral shaft fracture non-union,5 patients had tibial shaft fracture non-union, 2 patients had humerus fracture non-union and one had radius/ulna fracture non-unions. Mean duration from trauma to non-union was 15 months (Range 6 months to two years). All the patients were treated with this method, using an autologous bone graft from the iliac crest and followed for at least six months postoperatively. Twenty patients obtained bony union successfully. One patient failed to get a union, requiring the second operation, three patients got ipsilateral knee stiffness and three patients got limb length discrepancy less than 2cm. Conclusion: Chipping method with autologous bone grafting is easy to perform and is an encouraging approach for enhancing bone healing in long bones complex non-union.