Femoral shaft fracture in a hip arthrodesis: two cases of retrograde interlocking nailing

Abstract

Antegrade intramedullary nailing of femoral shaft fractures is a tried and tested treatment modality that has yielded consistently high union rates. Retrograde nailing is controversial as the approach violates the knee joint. We report two cases in which both patients had an arthrodesis of the hip and subsequently suffered a femoral shaft fracture distal to the implant. We feel that this would be an indication for retrograde nailing.