Fig. 2

Results of bone radiographic analysis in RUST. The RUST score is based on the presence or absence of callus and of a visible fracture line at the total of four cortices visible on the anteroposterior and lateral radiographs. Kooistra et al. reported that the reliability and validity of the radiographic union scale in human long bone [13]. In this study, the RUST score was applied to bone union analysis. The RUST score results, including the evaluation of cortical bone continuity and callus formation, were comparable among the groups, with the C group scoring 5.00 ± 0.82 points, the T(1) group scoring 6.67 ± 2.24 points, the ZA group scoring 7.90 ± 3.10 points, the T(1)+ZA group scoring 9.20 ± 3.65 points, and the T(10)+ZA group scoring 10.2 ± 2.57 points, indicating significantly more progress in bone union in the T(1)+ZA and T(10)+ZA groups than in the C group