The progress in the classification and treatment of scaphoid nonunion

Scaphoid fracture is the most common carpal fracture, accounting for 50%–80% of all carpal fractures in the Youngers and manual workers. The nonunion rate of scaphoid fractures was approximately 10–15%. Scaphoid nonunion can lead to wrist deformity, wrist collapse, ischemic necrosis, and traumatic osteoarthritis resulting in the loss of wrist function and seriously influence the patients’ lives. Achieving bony union is essential for the treatment of scaphoid nonunion. Although many surgical procedures including various forms of bone grafting have been developed to improve bony union, there is no conclusion about which method is the most effective and optimal. In this review, we provide an overview of the diagnostic, classification and progress in the treatments of scaphoid nonunion fractures.