Although this method of interlocking nail fixation will not match closed nailing performed under image intensifier guidance in terms of speed of surgery and blood loss, the technique offers indigent patients in developing economies the opportunity to get an affordable, effective and safe means of operative treatment for atrophic non-union of the femur.
Five patients were originally treated by interlocking nail, three were treated by plate and screws fixation, four treated conservatively and one had deformity secondary to fracture of a lengthening regenerate.
The results, in which we had one complication between 0 months and 3 months and one complication between 3 months and 6 months, are comparable with the low complication rate reported by Den Boer et al [ 11] following the use of an interlocking nail for fixation of a 3 cm tibial defect for a period of 3 months.
Interlocking nailing, which has become the method of choice for treating fractures of the femoral and tibial shafts, still lacks ability to provide the important contact-compression at the fracture.
Another approach is the use of blocking screws (also called Poller screws) with the interlocking nail to increase the stability.
Attempts have been made to modify existing adult interlocking nails to overcome the limitations of the initial rigid uniplanar nail design [53].
Tu YK, Lin CH, Su JI, Hsu DT, Chen RJ: Unreamed interlocking nail versus external fixator for open type III tibia fractures.
With the development of interlocking nail systems especially designed for the upper arm, standards for the operative treatment of humeral shaft fractures have appeared to change.
Converting a regular K-nail to an interlocking nail simply increases the number of patients that can afford interlocked nailing whilst the modification in technique increases the number of facilities that can undertake such procedures.
The removal of the interlocking nail was performed using this minimally invasive technique.
