• Arash Moghaddam, Benjamin Thaler, Thomas Bruckner, Michael Tanner, and Gerhard Schmidmaier.
• HTRG - Heidelberg Trauma Research Group, Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, Center for Orthopedics, Trauma Surgery and Spinal Cord Injury, Heidelberg University Hospital, Schlierbacher Landstraße 200a, D-69118 Heidelberg, Germany.
• J Orthop. 2017 Mar 1; 14 (1): 123-133.

BackgroundThe treatment of non-unions in long bones poses a great challenge, particularly in cases of infection or large osseous defects. This article evaluates the use of the diamond concept in the treatment of femoral non-unions in a one-step or two-step procedure according to the Masquelet technique.Patients And MethodsBetween February 2010 and March 2014, 88 patients with atrophic femoral non-unions were included in our study. The treatment was performed in one step (Group G1) on 41 patients and in two-step Masquelet technique (Group G2) on 47 patients, according to the diamond concept. In 72 cases it was decided to apply the growth factor BMP-7. The mean age of patients was 49.9 ± 15.3. The data were analysed after following up all patients for at least 12 months after surgery.Results74% of patients achieved consolidation in an average of 9.3 months. Positive bacterial cultures were found in 16 cases (18%). The consolidation rate in G2 was dependent on the non-union localisation and the osteosynthesis method applied. 83% of patients treated by intramedullary reaming achieved consolidation, while this was the case for only 60% of patients with osteosynthesis plates. Smokers in G2 had a larger average osseous defect and a lower consolidation rate. The quality of life as assessed with the SF-12 questionnaire had improved in both groups, with no significant differences between G1 and G2 one year after surgery.ConclusionsOne-step therapy is a suitable method of treatment for aseptic femoral non-unions with small osseous defects, using BMP-7 and RIA in the case of primarily failed atrophic non-union treatment. The Masquelet technique is an efficient means of eradicating infections in non-unions. In combination with intramedullary nailing, this technique is the method of choice for the treatment of femoral shaft non-unions with large defects.

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