Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2026, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (21): 5614-5620.doi: 10.12307/2026.327

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Bone grafting for repairing scaphoid nonunion

Guo Wen, Gao Binli, Wang Yang, Lin Sen   

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010030, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
  • Accepted:2025-04-16 Online:2026-07-28 Published:2026-03-06
  • Contact: Lin Sen, MS, Associate chief physician, Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010030, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
  • About author:Guo Wen, MS, Attending physician, Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot 010030, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Due to the relatively special symptoms and anatomical structure of scaphoid fractures, untreated fractures or those with delayed treatment often lead to non-union of the fracture, carpal joint collapse, or loss of function, subsequently resulting in persistent or intermittent pain, swelling, and limited mobility in the carpal joint. Currently, although there are a wide variety of bone grafting techniques and the choice of treatment methods is complex, there is still no consensus on which bone grafting surgical method is superior.
OBJECTIVE: To review the research status of scaphoid nonunion, summarize different bone grafting surgeries for the treatment of nonunion of fractures at home and abroad in recent years, explore the clinical efficacy, advantages and disadvantages of various bone grafting techniques, and provide guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
METHODS: A computer was used to search for relevant articles published in the PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, China Medical Library, VIP, and WanFang databases from 1980 to 2024. The Chinese and English search terms were “scaphoid nonunion, surgery, bone graft, bone flap, scaphoid proximal pole.” A total of 687 articles were retrieved, and 54 articles were selected for review through inclusion and exclusion criteria.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Non-vascularized graft is still the mainstream treatment for scaphoid nonunion. Among them, simple cancellous bone transplantation has fast bone formation (healing rate 85%-100%) and is suitable for cases without deformity; cortical cancellous bone has strong support (healing rate 88%-93%), which is more conducive to restoring the morphology of the scaphoid. (2) There is no significant difference in the healing rate between iliac bone and distal radial donors, but the distal radial donor site has fewer complications (5% vs. 18%). (3) Vascularized grafts can significantly improve the efficacy of complex cases: the healing rate of radial styloid bone flap is 81%-92%; the healing rate of pronator quadratus pedicle flap is 93.3%; the free medial femoral condyle flap has outstanding effect in reconstructing the articular surface (healing rate 95%), and the success rate of free iliac bone flap is up to 91.7%-100%, but the technical requirements are high. (4) The treatment of scaphoid fracture nonunion must follow the principle of individualization: bloodless transplantation is suitable for simple fractures with good blood supply, while blood-supply transplantation is for ischemic necrosis or complex deformities. (5) In the future, standardized imaging evaluation (such as MRI grading), bioenhancement technology (bone morphogenetic protein 2, 3D printing scaffolds), and microsurgery should be popularized to improve the efficacy, and the optimal plan should be formulated in combination with the patient's age and occupational needs to balance functional recovery and complication prevention and control.

Key words: scaphoid nonunion, surgical treatment, bone graft, bone flap, scaphoid proximal pole

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