Table 4.
Studies involving tibial shaft malunions. Deformities before and after surgical intervention are displayed.
| Study | Patients (#) | Malunion Deformity | Post-Surgical Alignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graehl et al. | 8 | Varus deformity 15 degrees; one patient had an anterior sagittal plane deformity of 14 degrees; two had posterior deformities of 30 degrees and 45 degrees | Average coronal plane alignment 0 degrees; sagittal angulation was 8 degrees of recurvatum on average; only 1 of 3 patients with sagittal deformity were in neutral alignment |
| Mast et al. | 17 | >8-degree coronal, 5–40-degree sagittal, 10 IR-15 ER, leg length discrepancy 1–2 cm | Healed corrected within 5 degrees |
| Sanders et al. | 12 | Mean sagittal plane deformity 13 degrees; mean coronal plane deformity 23 degrees of procurator; average shortening 2.2 cm | Correction of sagittal deformity to within 2° of normal; correction in coronal plane within 1° of normal; avg 1.3 cm of lengthening obtained |
| Sangeorzan et al. | 4 | Varus deformity 15 degrees on average; 9.75 degrees of extension on average; 1 cm of shortening | All corrected to within acceptable limits |
| Wu CC et al. | 37 | Angular or rotational deformity, but no shortening >2 cm | All patients’ deformities reached <10° angulation and/or rotation and <2 cm shortening |
| Johnson | 7 | Varus in six patients averaged 16.6 degrees; shortening averaged 1.29 cm in six patients; posterior bowing averaged 8.2 degrees in five patients. | Lower-leg deformity and angulation improved in all patients |
| LaFrance et al. | 1 | 15-degree apex anterior; valgus 10 alignment | Normal alignment |
| Feldman et al. | 11 | Mean alignment: coronal angulation 11.7°, sagittal plane 10.3°, shortening 6.8 mm, rotation 0.6° | Mean alignment: coronal angulation 1.4°, sagittal plane 0.9°, shortening 4.4 mm, rotation 0.6° |
| Lahav and Dimaio | 1 | Varus malalignment at the knee was 12 degrees; 20-degree varus malunion of the tibia | Normal alignment |
| Paley et al. | 17 | Angular rotation >5° (avg rotation >15°) leg length discrepancy >1.5 (mean 4.5 cm) | All corrected within 1.5 cm leg length discrepancy, angular deformity < 5°, and rotation < 10° |