The surgical treatment of scaphoid nonunion is controversial.

The purpose of this study is to present our experience from the surgical treatment of 16 scaphoid nonunions in heavy manual workers.

Sixteen patients with sixteen nonunions of the scaphoid were treated during the last 6 years (13 male and 3 female). Established nonunion was present in 7 months to 7 years. Five nonunions were Alnot stage I, 5 were IIa, 5 were IIb and 1 nonunion was stage IIIa. One case considered the distal pole and 15 the proximal pole of the scaphoid. In 5 patients there was avascular necrosis of the scaphoid and in 6 patients DISI was present. All sixteen patients complained about pain, resulting to disability to work.

All patients were treated with an autocompression screw and small autologus cancellus bone grafts. In one case with a proximal third non-union, screw fixation was not achieved. The mean time of union was 70 days. Mean follow up was 3 years. All patients returned early to their occupation without pain. Grip strength reached 90% (70% preoperatively) and range of motion reached 95% (80% preoperatively), compared to the contralateral side. Excellent functional results were in eleven patients, good in four and average in one patient. In four cases there was a previous carpal dislocation.

Symptoms of non-union of the scaphoid appear earlier in heavy manual workers and their surgical treatment should not be delayed. We believe that the use of autocompression screws and cancellous bone grafts is the first choice of treatment for nonunions (Alnot stage I and II) of middle and distal third of the scaphoid.