The non-operative treatment of delayed union in fractures of the leg / by John Ridlon.

  • Ridlon, John, 1852-1936.
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The non-operative treatment of delayed union in fractures of the leg / by John Ridlon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    eight weeks resumed his laborious work of unloading vessels. In speaking of delayed union, I do not use th£ term as synonymous with non-union, or pseudarthrosis. Neither do I use it in precisely the same limited sense that it is generally used by writers who would place a time limit, more or less movable to be sure, upon the term, and make subjective pain and tenderness play an important part in the diagnosis. A given case cannot rightly be denominated delayed union this week, and non union next; nor delayed union while pain and tenderness exist to-day, and non-union when they are no longer felt on the morrow. The normal union of a fractured bone oc- cupies a pretty definite period, and if union fails to be perfect at the end of that time either delayed union or non-union may be said to exist; but if it be delayed union in the beginning, delayed union it will remain until it has become solid by non-operative treatment; while if it be non-union in the beginning, non union it will remain until cured by operation. Non-operative treatment has no place in the treatment of cases of true non-union, and we will not further consider that branch of the subject, however interesting it would be to discuss the query as to why union is more readily obtained in cut off than in broken off bone ends. In the same way we believe that operative measures have no place in the treatment of cases of delayed union. For time is not a subject for consideration when weighed in the balance with the risk to life of even an aseptic operation; and no cutting operation should be thought of until every other known means and an abundance of time have been expended. As oithopedic surgeons more than our rightful share of these unpromising cases will come under c*ir observation. During the past two years I have met with delayed union in two fractures of the leg, two of the shaft of the femur, one* of the neck of the femur, and one of the humerus. The two cases of fracture of the leg I have presented to you. It therefore behooves us to take counsel one with