Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2015 Jun;7(2):261-3.
doi: 10.4055/cios.2015.7.2.261. Epub 2015 May 18.

Breakage of a Lag Screw of Cephalomedullary Nail: A Technique of Removal

Direk Tantigate  1 , Kongkhet Riansuwan  1 , Banchong Mahaisavariya  1 , Kitichai Sukjaitham  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Breakage of a Lag Screw of Cephalomedullary Nail: A Technique of Removal

Direk Tantigate et al. Clin Orthop Surg. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

A broken lag screw of the cephalomedullary nail is a rare condition. Removal of the retained lag screw from the femoral head is also very challenging. This article describes a surgical technique and the modified instrument that was available in the operating room for removing the broken implant by closed technique.

Keywords: Femur fractures; Gamma nail; Implant breakage; Lag screw; Remove.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Radiograph showed nonunion of subtrochanteric fracture of right femur and breakage of a lag screw of long cephalomedullary.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Postoperative radiograph showed union of subtrochanteric fracture of right femur without complication.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. The customized removal tool was created by modifying a 12 × 400 mm Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen femoral interlocking nail.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Franklin JL, Winquist RA, Benirschke SK, Hansen ST., Jr Broken intramedullary nails. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1988;70(10):1463–1471. - PubMed
    1. Riansuwan K, Carter C, Nercessian O. Removal of broken long gamma nail: a modified guide wires technique. J Trauma. 2008;64(2):517–519. - PubMed
    1. Whalley H, Thomas G, Hull P, Porter K. Surgeon versus metalwork: tips to remove a retained intramedullary nail fragment. Injury. 2009;40(7):783–789. - PubMed
    1. Gaebler C, Stanzl-Tschegg S, Tschegg EK, et al. Implant failure of the gamma nail. Injury. 1999;30(2):91–99. - PubMed
    1. Pervez H, Parker MJ. Results of the long Gamma nail for complex proximal femoral fractures. Injury. 2001;32(9):704–707. - PubMed

Publication types