Effect of Blocking Screws on Union of Infraisthmal Femur Fractures Stabilized With a Retrograde Intramedullary Nail.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of blocking screws (BS) on the union rate and stability of infraisthmal femur fractures treated with retrograde intramedullary nail (RIMN) insertion. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A single level 1 trauma center. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: All patients with an infraisthmal femur fracture treated with a RIMN from 2005 to 2012 were included. INTERVENTION: All fractures were treated with a RIMN. BS were used at the discretion of the treating surgeon. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: (1) Radiographic time to union, (2) initial postoperative sagittal and coronal angulation, and (3) final sagittal and coronal angulation. RESULTS: Neither the average time to union (BS 21.1 weeks vs. 21.8 weeks), nor union rates (BS 61% vs. 77%) were statistically different between BS and non-BS constructs. No significant alignment differences existed whether BS were used or not. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we were not able to verify our hypothesis. In fact, we did not find any significant advantages when BS were added to a RIMN construct for distal femur fractures with respect to union time, union rate, or improvements in alignment. Additional studies are needed to determine the actual benefit of BS in the treatment of infraisthmal femoral shaft fractures treated with retrograde intramedullary nailing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Midshaft clavicle fractures with associated ipsilateral acromioclavicular joint dislocations: Incidence and risk factors.

INTRODUCTION: Simultaneous ipsilateral clavicle and acromioclavicular (AC) joint injury have been infrequently reported in the literature at this time. The purpose of this study was to assess incidence as well as assess risk factors for this dual injury pattern. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of a prospectively collected database (Level III evidence), evaluating 383 adult patients without previous shoulder girdle injury or trauma with a minimum 1-year follow-up who sustained a displaced diaphyseal clavicle fracture. All patients in the study underwent either nonoperative management or surgical reduction and stabilization of a diaphyseal clavicle fracture with a plate and screw construct. Study subjects were followed with serial radiographs. Clavicle and shoulder radiographs, as well as chest radiographs and contralateral films in questionable cases, were used to assess for acromioclavicular joint injury in both operative and nonoperative groups. Additional data was collected on concurrent injuries, patient demographics, fracture characteristics, fixation techniques, surgical/post-operative data, and operative or nonoperative treatment. RESULTS: We found that 13/183 (7.1%) of patients undergoing fixation of a diaphyseal clavicle fracture had an ipsilateral AC joint injury, while 13/200 (6.5%) of patients undergoing conservative management had an ipsilateral AC joint injury. Critical analysis of the data revealed that presence of ipsilateral scapular body fractures, and a likely incidental association with superior plating fixation, were associated with an increased rate of this injury pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Ipsilateral clavicle fracture and AC joint injury is much more common than traditionally believed, with an incidence of 6.8% overall. It is unknown how the presence of an associated AC injury influences outcome, as AC injury was not universally symptomatic.