Bridge Plate Fixation of Distal Femur Fractures: Defining Deficient Radiographic Callus Formation and its Associations.

Deficient callus at 6 and 12 weeks is associated with eventual nonunion and such assessments may aid future research into distal femur fracture healing. Deficient callus formation was independently associated with limited initial longitudinal fracture site motion derived through computational modeling of the surgical construct, but not more routinely discussed parameters such as plate material and bridge span. Given this, improved methods of in vivo assessment of fracture site motion are necessary to further our ability to optimize the mechanical environment for healing.