Fixation of scaphoid delayed union and non-union with absorbable polyglycolide pin or Herbert screw. Consolidation and functional results.

Internal fixation with an absorbable polyglycolide pin or a Herbert screw was used to treat 34 patients with ununited and delayed union of fractures of the carpal scaphoid. The late clinical result could be reviewed in 14 patients in the polyglycolide group and 10 in the Herbert group with an average follow-up time of 68 and 58 months, respectively. The rate of union was 64% in the polyglycolide group and 60% in the Herbert group. The functional outcome was better in the Herbert group than in the polyglycolide group. A transient local abacterial tissue reaction occurred in 5 of 20 (25%) patients in the polyglycolide group. Two Herbert screws were removed due to penetration of the screw into the radial cartilage. The complication rate was relatively high with both methods. The polyglycolide pin results were unsatisfactory in this study, and thus we do not recommend their use in delayed union of and ununited scaphoid fractures.