Future modalities to assess fracture healing.

Abstract

Fracture healing remains a complex process routinely evaluated in clinical practice with sequential radiographs. Assessing the presence of union is a critical issue in patient care, with widespread implications in terms of overall decision-making and postoperative rehabilitation. Nonunion assessment, whether it be with radiographs or more advanced imaging, has far-reaching consequences for the patient in addition to the health care system. The purpose of this review was to explore new, emerging modalities for the assessment of fracture healing. A review of the current, relevant literature regarding the use of serologic markers and radiostereometric analysis was conducted, and the results were summarized. Emerging techniques to assess fracture healing have been evaluated, including the use of serologic markers as well as radiostereometric analysis. Their potential applications extend beyond the simple assessment of a united fracture, with the capacity to predict nonunion at earlier phases of care. While early results appear promising, the current application of serologic markers and radiostereometric analysis as a means to assess fracture healing remains limited, and future larger-scale studies are needed to establish concrete and tailored guidelines for use.