Retrograde Locked Intramedullary Nailing for Aseptic Supracondylar Femoral Nonunion following Failed Locked Plating

oleh: Chi-Chuan Wu

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: SAGE Publishing 2015-08-01

Deskripsi

Purpose. To review the outcome of retrograde locked nailing for aseptic supracondylar femoral nonunions following failed locked plating. Methods. Records of 20 men and 4 women aged 20 to 57 (mean, 39) years who underwent retrograde locked intramedullary nailing for aseptic supracondylar femoral nonunion following failed locked plating were reviewed. There were 20 closed and 4 open Gustilo type II or IIIA fractures secondary to motor vehicle accidents (n=21) or falls (n=3). Patients had undergone one to 3 operations. The mean time from injury to the present revision surgery was 1.3 years. No patient had a flexion contracture. The locked plate was removed and replaced with a retrograde dynamic locked nail (with or without buttress plate augmentation) followed by bone grafting. Results. 17 men and 4 women were followed up for a mean of 3.4 years. The rest were lost to follow-up. The 21 patients achieved bone union after a mean of 4.3 months. The mean maximal knee flexion improved from 97.1° to 107.6° (p=0.03). Knee function was excellent in one, good in 15, and fair in 5 knees. The fair outcome was due to extension contracture, varus knee deformity, or knee pain. There were 3 malunions with varus deformity of 7°, 8°, and 9° each. No patient had deep infection causing a nonunion. All 21 patients could walk without aids. Conclusion. Retrograde locked intramedullary nailing for aseptic supracondylar femoral nonunions following failed locked plating achieved a high union rate.