The effect of head injury on callus formation in fractures of tubular bones

Abstract

A study conducted in a 2 years period (2005-2007) in Tikrit Teaching Hospital aiming to find the effect of head injury on radiological evidence of callus formation. The study included 53 patients with head injury and fractures, compared to 30 control patients with fractures without head injury. The study depends on the ratio between the callus diameter to that of the bone, to quantify callus mass. We focused on the femoral, tibial, and humeral fractures for the ease of measuring callus formation. The radiological evidence of callus started in head injured group started earlier, and became more florid than the control group. With radiological resemblance to heterotopic ossification, rather than a normally looking callus. The study reveals that the patients with severe head injuries have abundant callus formed, compared to the lesser degree of head injury. And that patients with fractures have more callus formation; when associated with head injury