[Clinical use of interlocking intramedullary nail treating in complex and nonunion fracture of femur and tibia]

Abstract

Fifty-one complex and nonunion fractures of femur and tibia in forty eight patients were treated with interlocking intramedullary nail. All patients were followed-up for 6 to 29 months to evaluate the curative effect. Forty-nine fractures in forty-six patients were healed(95.8%). The time of healing was 16 weeks(10-24 weeks) in femur and 18 weeks (12-28 week) in tibia in fresh fracture, and 20 weeks(14-46 weeks) in femur nonunion and 18 weeks (12-28 weeks) in tibia nonunion. In femur, the efficacy of 28 cases was excellent or good (93.3%), and 2 cases mediate (6.7%); in tibia, 18 cases were all assessed as excellent or good. The complications were observed in 8 patients (16.67%), including distal screw misinserting, extremity shortening, screw loosening, distal shaft fracture and fracture nonunion. The results suggest that interlocking intramedullary nail can be used in many kinds of femur and tibia fracture with satisfactory result, especially in the complex fracture and nonunion after fixation failure.