Treatments of the Nonunion of Femoral Shaft Fractures after Interlocking Intramedullary Nailing

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate and analyze the clinical result in the treatment of aseptic nonunion of femoral shaft fracture after interlocking intramedullary nailing MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 23 cases of aspetic nonunion of femoral shaft fracture after interlocking intramedullary nail from March 1995 to February 2003 and follow up more than one year. 8 cases were treated by metal exchange, 3 cases by autogenous bone graft and the rest 12 cases by metal exchange and bone graft on the basis of fracture gap and type of nonunion. We evaulated nonunion type, union time and clinical result. Those patients were treated by interlocking intramedullary nail with or without bone graft. Union were accepted when the radiographic evidences showed bridging callus on both end of femoral shaft fracture with clinical evidences showing abscence of pseudomotion or pain. RESULTS: All patients were united by one operation. Average union time were 4.8 months in metal exchange group, 3.9 months in metal exchange with autograft bone graft group, and 4.3 months in bone graft group. 15 patients (65.2%) showed hypervascular nonunion including 7 Elephant foot types (46.7%) and 8 oligotrophic types (53.5%), and 8 patients (34.8%) showed avascular nonunion according to Weber-Brunner classification CONCLUSION: Based on our analysis on clinical outcome and stability of nonunion occuring after initial interlocking intramedullary nailing in femoral shaft fracture, interlocking intramedullary nailing with bone graft made early ambulation possible and promoting returning to normal daily life much earlier, thus based on this data, we recommend interlocking intramedullary nailing for treating femoral shaft fracture along with bone graft.