Retrograde nailing of femur fractures in patients with myelopathy and who are nonambulatory.

The authors studied 10 consecutive patients with closed femoral shaft or supracondylar fractures who were nonambulatory and who were treated by reamed retrograde intramedullary nailing via an intercondylar notch approach. The study consisted of five women and five men with an average age of 60.7 years (range, 40-89 years). Six patients had spinal cord lesions, one had a brain injury, one had cerebral palsy, one had multiple sclerosis, and one had progressive myelopathy. Three fractures were supracondylar, and seven fractures involved the mid-distal diaphysis. The average time of surgery was 110 minutes (range, 70-225 minutes) with an average estimated blood loss of 288 mL (range, 150-400 mL). There were two postoperative deaths (at 15 days and 2 months, respectively) after the procedure that were attributable to pneumonia. The remaining eight patients were observed for an average of 13 months (range, 6-20 months) after surgery. All fractures healed as evaluated radiographically. Retrograde intramedullary nailing is a simple, safe, and effective alternative to nonoperative treatment for femoral shaft or supracondylar fractures in patients who are nonambulatory. Stabilization by this method allows fracture healing and rapid return of patients to their previous level of function. There were no nonunions, malunions, significant shortening, implant failure, or wound infections.

Posttraumatic nonunion of the proximal tibial metaphysis.

Eighteen patients with nonunions of the proximal tibial metaphysis were treated at one institution. Nine patients had a history of osteomyelitis. There was an average of 4 prior surgical procedures to achieve fracture union, obtain soft-tissue coverage, or eradicate infection. Stable internal fixation with bone grafting was performed in 13 patients, with a fixed angle blade plate in 10 and standard compression plate in 3. Three patients were treated with hybrid circular external fixators, and one patient was placed in a cast. An additional patient underwent long-stem total knee arthroplasty with structural allografting. Follow-up averaged 45 months. Osseous union was achieved in 100% of patients. Alignment was within 5 degrees of neutral in 94% of patients. Forty-four percent of patients continue to require the assistance of a cane for ambulation. Twelve patients have some pain with activity, primarily related to ipsilateral knee arthrosis. No infections have recurred. Knee motion improved an average of 28 degrees. Healing of nonunions of the proximal tibial metaphysis may be achieved with meticulous soft-tissue care and appropriate stabilization of small, osteoporotic, periarticular fragments.

The management of femoral diaphyseal nonunions.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of treatment and develop an algorithm for management of nonunions of the femoral diaphysis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: University hospital. METHODS: Forty-four patients treated at one institution for nonunion of the femoral diaphysis were studied. Thirteen of these patients had a history of infection. After debridement (where appropriate) and repair of the femoral nonunion, follow-up averaged twenty-eight months (range, 24 to 108 months). All patients were examined at final follow-up. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients achieved union after one procedure, and eight patients achieved union after additional procedures. One patient underwent above-knee amputation, and two patients remained ununited at the time of their final follow-up. Time to union averaged 11.8 months. Seventeen patients healed with more than two centimeters of shortening, and ten patients lost more than 30 degrees of knee flexion. CONCLUSION: Established femoral diaphyseal nonunions can be treated effectively, even in the presence of chronic sepsis. Selective use of a vascularized fibula transfer has proven beneficial in addressing intercalary defects. Plate fixation, with or without a vascularized fibula transfer, has been the predominant mode of skeletal stabilization in more complex reconstructions.

Parturition-induced pelvic dislocation: a report of four cases.

OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience with four cases of severe pelvic dislocation associated with difficult parturition. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PATIENTS: Four patients, each with rupture of the symphysis pubis and sacroiliac joints during labor. All injuries were associated with significant initial pain and disability. All developed persistent symptoms related to the sacroiliac disruption. INTERVENTIONS: The three patients who had presented acutely were freated with closed reduction and application of a pelvic binder. Two underwent closed reduction of their pelvic dislocation while anesthetized with a general anesthetic. One patient (N.A.), who presented late, had not been treated with a binder. RESULTS: All four patients had persistent posterior pelvic (sacroiliac) pain. In two patients a postpartum neuropathy persisted. CONCLUSIONS: Severe pelvic dislocations are rare during labor, with conservative treatment reported to be successful in most cases. The persistence of symptoms in our patients emphasizes the need for careful examination and follow-up of these rare injuries. Because the outcome in our patients was poor and results in the literature are equivocal, we suggest the consideration of an operative approach to treatment in patients with symphyseal diastasis of > 4.0 cm.

The use of osseous suture anchors in the treatment of severe, complicated elbow dislocations.

Seventeen patients who sustained severe trauma resulting in dislocation or fracture-dislocation of the elbow were treated using osseous suture anchors to repair the soft-tissue constraints of the elbow. In 15 of these patients, the medial collateral ligament and flexor-pronator origin were repaired. Ten patients underwent repair of the lateral collateral ligament using anchors. Five patients were also treated with a hinged external fixator. All of the elbows were rendered grossly unstable by the injury; all of the patients had stable elbows at follow-up. Elbow flexion averaged 127 degrees; an average 19 degrees extension loss was noted. The arc of forearm rotation averaged 156 degrees. The aggressive approach detailed in this report is applicable only to severe injuries to the elbow, not routine dislocations. These cases demonstrate the reliability of the osseous suture anchor in the operative treatment of massive trauma to the elbow.

Retrograde intramedullary nailing of the femur using a tibial nail--the adjunctive use of an existing implant: a case report.

A 74-year-old male involved in a pedestrian-automobile collision sustained a comminuted supracondylar-diaphyseal femur fracture. The fracture was stabilized by retrograde intramedullary fixation with a Synthes unreamed tibial nail. Knee motion reached 0 degree-120 degrees by the sixth postoperative day and the fracture healed within twelve weeks. Twelve months after his injury, his knee motion was symmetric to his uninjured side and he had resumed full preinjury activities, including martial arts training. Although antegrade intramedullary nailing remains the treatment of choice for fractures of the femur, this case highlights the usefulness of retrograde nailing and demonstrates the adjunctive application of an existing implant, the tibial nail, in certain special trauma situations.

Open fractures of the femoral shaft.

In this article, the treatment of open fractures of the femoral shaft is discussed, and the available clinical studies are reviewed. A rationale for treating these types of fractures is provided, and specific recommendations are made.

Immediate nailing of open fractures of the femoral shaft.

Débridement of the wound and immediate reamed nailing were performed on sixty-seven patients who had an open fracture of the femoral diaphysis. Forty-two of these patients were followed for a minimum of twelve months (average, twenty-three months). Using the classification system of Gustilo and Anderson, there were fifteen (36 per cent) Grade-I, nineteen (45 per cent) Grade-II, and eight (19 per cent) Grade-III soft-tissue injuries. All of the fractures healed within four months after injury. The average flexion of the knee was 127 degrees and that of the hip, 129 degrees. At least 90 degrees of flexion was achieved in both joints of all patients. Perioperative complications included loss of fixation in four patients (10 per cent), infection of the wound in two patients (5 per cent), a wound seroma in two patients (5 per cent), and thrombophlebitis in one patient (2 per cent). Late complications were angular malunion in three patients (7 per cent), limb-length discrepancy in three patients (7 per cent), external rotation malunion in one patient (2 per cent), and sciatic-nerve palsy in one patient (2 per cent). We concluded that immediate intramedullary nailing of an open femoral fracture can be accomplished safely, with an acceptable rate of complications, given thorough débridement of the wound, proper equipment, and an experienced surgical team.