Comparison Between Vascular and Non-Vascular Bone Grafting in Scaphoid Nonunion: A Systematic Review

Background: Scaphoid fractures correspond to 60% of all carpal fractures, with a risk of 10% to progress towards non-union. Furthermore, ~3% present avascular necrosis (AVN) of the proximal pole, which is one of the main complications related to the peculiar vascularization of the bone. Scaphoid non-union can be treated with vascularized and non-vascularized bone grafting. The aim of the study is to evaluate the rates of consolidation of scaphoid non-union treated using two types of grafts.

Methods: A systematic review of two electronic medical databases was carried out by two independent authors, using the following inclusion criteria: non-union of the proximal pole of the scaphoid bone, treated with vascular bone grafting (VBG) or non-vascular bone grafting (NVBG), with or without the use of internal fixation, patients aged ≥ 10 years old, and a minimum of 12 months follow-up. Research of any level of evidence that reports clinical results and regarding non-union scaphoid, either using vascularized or non-vascularized bone grafting, has been included.

Results: A total of 271 articles were identified. At the end of the first screening, 104 eligible articles were selected for the whole reading of the text. Finally, after reading the text and the control of the reference list, we selected 26 articles following the criteria described above.

Conclusions: The choice of the VBG depends mainly on the defect of the scaphoid and on the surgeon's knowledge of the different techniques. Free vascular graft with medial femoral condyle (MFC) seems to be a promising alternative to local vascularized bone grafts in difficult cases.