Finsen V, Haave O
Department of Orthopedics, Trondheim University Hospital, Norway.
Acta Orthop Scand. 1987 Aug;58(4):369-71. doi: 10.3109/17453678709146357.
We studied 20 patients who had suffered tibial shaft fractures 30 months previously. The bone-mineral content in diaphyseal and metaphyseal bone of the femur and tibia was determined by photon absorptiometry. There was a moderate, but significant, deficit of bone-mineral in metaphyseal bone at the knee and distal tibia. This loss was, however, far smaller than that previously reported. Persisting bone-mineral changes in diaphyseal bone were insignificant except in the fracture area where there was a 28 per cent increase. This may indicate that bone may, under some circumstances, locally increase in strength after remodelling of the fracture.
