Table 2 Radiological and clinical outcomes (For variables marked with ‘a’, effect size could not be calculated due to the use of a non-parametric test)
Total (n = 32) | Group 1 (n = 16) | Group 2 (n = 16) | Cohen’s d | 95% CI Lower | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bone defect (cm) | 7.78 (range 4 to 12) | 8.09 (range 4 to 12) | 7.46 (range 4 to 12) | 0.260 | (-0.438-0.954) | 0.468 |
Duration of surgery (min) | 177.81 ± 29.21 | 174.38 ± 33.36 | 181.25 ± 25.00 | -0.233 | (-0.383-0.930) | 0.515 |
Segment shift amount (cm) | 7.45 ± 2.46 | 8.09 ± 2.84 | 6.81 ± 1.91 | 0.530 | (-0.180-1.232) | 0.144 |
Residual shortness | 0.83 ± 0.87 | 1.00 ± 0.95 | 0.66 ± 0.77 | a | a | 0.339 |
External fixator duration (days) | 557.38 ± 237.20 | 586.19 ± 288.15 | 528.56 ± 177.42 | 0.241 | (-0.457-0.934) | 0.501 |
External fixator index (days/cm) | 74.72 ± 16.92 | 71.08 ± 14.48 | 78.36 ± 18.81 | -0.433 | (-1.131-0.272) | 0.23 |
Radiological consolidation time (days) | 418.00 ± 169.12 | 424.06 ± 194.65 | 411.94 ± 145.41 | 0.071 | (-0.623-0.763) | 0.843 |
Radrographic consolidation index (days/cm) | 55.48 ± 13.86 | 51.47 ± 9.62 | 59.50 ± 16.44 | -0.623 | (-1.301-0.117) | 0.102 |
VAS score – at rest | 5.78 ± 1.34 | 4.81 ± 0.98 | 6.75 ± 0.86 | a | a | 0.001* |
VAS score- with daily activity | 1.75 ± 0.67 | 1.69 ± 0.70 | 1.81 ± 0.66 | a | a | 0.56 |