Treatment of Delayed Union, Nonunion, and Malunion of the Phalanges of the Hand

Nonunion occurs in less than 1% of phalangeal fractures. Despite this rarity we have accumulated a series of 14 proximal and middle phalangeal delayed unions, nonunions, and malunions. All patients but 1 were initially treated by a physician other than the senior author. All patients developed loss of active motion following their primary treatment. Secondary treatment was by open reduction and internal fixation with Kirschner wires. The mean and median total active motion before secondary treatment were 130 and 90 degrees, respectively. Following secondary treatment, the total active motion increased significantly (p less than 0.05) to a mean of 215 degrees and a median of 255 degrees. We recommend secondary treatment of delayed union, nonunion, and malunion of phalanges of the hand. Open reduction and internal fixation followed by early (two to three weeks) active motion leads to a significant improvement in finger function.