Non-Union Treatment in the Shoulder, Arm, Wrist, and Fingers: A Multicentre Retrospective Study Comparing Conventional Treatment with the Human Allogeneic Cortical Bone Screw (Shark Screw®)

Successful non-union therapy consists of a combination of optimizing mechanical stability and activating biological factors. The conventional method for treating non-union is debridement and stabilization with metal hardware. The human allogeneic cortical bone screw (Shark Screw^®) merges human cortical bone properties with screw stability, addressing non-union surgery principles by integrating mechanical and biological aspects. The objective of this retrospective study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of the conventional method with those of the new method using the Shark Screw^®. This retrospective, multicentre, level III study included 41 patients with non-unions in upper extremities, 11 treated with the conventional method (metal hardware ± graft), and 30 patients with the Shark Screw^® (±graft). Patient demographics, non-union location, autograft and/or allograft use, follow-up time, complications, union rate, time to union, and time to return to work were recorded. Follow-up was 18 months in the conventional group and 10 months in the Shark Screw^® group. The union rate was 72.7% in the conventional group and 96.7% in the Shark Screw^® group. Time to union was significantly shorter in the Shark Screw^® group. In the conventional group, the complication rate was 36%, and it was 3.4% in the Shark Screw^® group. Hardware removal in the conventional group was 64%, and it was 0% in the Shark Screw^® group. The Shark Screw^® presents a reliable option for treating non-unions in the shoulder, forearm, hand, and fingers.