I have a wrist fracture with the scaphoid bone broken at the waist. can i insist that bone not be taken from my hip to fix it? surgery was recommended by an orthopedic doctor to repair a non-union wrist fracture with the scaphoid bone broken at the waist

The : The bone graft he is speaking of is actually from the pelvic bone (iliac crest) which is the bone you can feel on the side about the level of your umbilicus. The bone is most definitely not taken from your hip joint... Schaphoid fractures have a tendency to not heal so taking bone from your iliac crest has the best chance of healing the fracture. I believe there may be alternative sites where the bone may be taken from...Ie. The wrist. I would discuss this with your surgeon.

No: The repair of a nonunion of the scrapping requires internal fixation with a screw and bone graft with fresh viable cancellous bone removed but this can be done percutaneously and with a minimal incision and lessen the pain that can occur from harvesting bone from your hip.

No: Depends on the fracture and how much bone is needed. One study showed bone grafting from distal radius had lower healing rates than graft from the hip. But in some selected cases (but not all) percutaneous fixation can be used with or without bone graft. Ask your surgeon what is best in you. See : http://www.Ncbi.Nlm.Nih.Gov/pubmed/14652390 and http://www.Ncbi.Nlm.Nih.Gov/pubmed/1660141.

Ask about options: It is common to treat scaphoid nonunion with bone graft. The exact method of treatment depends on the surgeons judgement and experience. The hip has traditionally been the best source for bone graft given the amount of cells that are available to form bone. Distal radius can be used, particularly where smaller amount of bone is needed. Ask your surgeon about their experience with other sources.