page_title: Nonunion
section_title: Treatment
hierarchical_section_title: Nonunion / Treatment
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Kahnbein-Pseudarthrose und Versorgung mit Herbert-Schraube.
context_page_description: Nonunion is permanent failure of healing following a broken bone unless intervention is performed. A fracture with nonunion generally forms a structural resemblance to a fibrous joint, and is therefore often called a "false joint" or pseudoarthrosis. The diagnosis is generally made when there is no healing between two sets of medical imaging such as X-ray or CT scan. This is generally after 6–8 months.
  Nonunion is a serious complication of a fracture and may occur when the fracture moves too much, has a poor blood supply or gets infected. Patients who smoke have a higher incidence of nonunion. The normal process of bone healing is interrupted or stalled.
  Since the process of bone healing is quite variable, a nonunion may go on to heal without intervention in a very few cases. In general, if a nonunion is still evident at 6 months post injury it will remain unhealed without specific treatment, usually orthopedic surgery. A non-union which does go on to heal is called a delayed union.
caption: Scaphoid pseudarthrosis before and after surgical fixation
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