Outcomes After Operative Reconstruction of Symptomatic Rib Nonunions

Objective: To assess the outcomes of patients after rib nonunion reconstruction.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Level 1 trauma center.

Patients/participants: Between January 2007 and August 2019, 25 consecutive patients with 51 nonunions with disabling pain or chronic instability were treated for nonunited rib fractures.

Intervention: Rib nonunion reconstructions performed using plate and screw fixation, recannalizing the medullary canal and augmented with autogenous iliac crest bone graft.

Main outcome measurements: Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, number of rib nonunions, and postoperative radiographs were assessed. Satisfaction, patient-reported complications, return to occupation and activity, and general health measures were captured using patient questionnaires.

Results: In 25 patients, 51 painful rib nonunions were surgically treated. The average length from injury to surgical rib reconstruction was 25.1 months (range = 3-118 months; median = 12 months). Follow-up was obtained in 18 of 25 patients (72%) with a mean of 46.1 months (range = 13-139 months). All ribs achieved radiographic union at an average of 12.3 weeks (range = 8-24 weeks) after surgery. Sixteen of 18 patients (89%) reported satisfaction with surgery and 15 patients (83%) reported mild to no pain at final follow-up. Five patients had complications that all resolved after subsequent treatment.

Conclusions: Successful treatment of symptomatic rib nonunion is possible using rib plates in conjunction with bone grafting and has high union rates, satisfactory results, and limited complications.

Level of evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.