A simple new technique to remove a bent Kuntscher nail.

ABSTRACT

We present our technique to remove a bent intramedullary femoral nail in a 26 year-old man admitted with an abnormally angulated right thigh within 3 days. His right femoral shaft was broken by a traffic accident 2 months ago. This fracture was treated with a Kuntscher nail fixation by the open method. For the operative techniques, the fracture site was exposed using a previous incision at the lateral thigh. After dissecting soft tissue and periosteum from the fracture site, we increased the varus deformity of the femur including the nail inside the medullary canal until the nail formed the “V shape” and extracted the nail simultaneously. A limited corticotomy was conducted to allow more space for the nail to escape. After removal of the bent nail, the fracture was stabilized with a 12×360 mm. static interlocking nail (Grosse-Kempf).