Interlocking intramedullary nailing in the treatment of tibial fractures. A report of 45 cases

Forty-five tibial shaft fractures in 43 patients were treated with the Grosse-Kempf interlocking intramedullary nail. The material was highly selected because 49% of the fractures were due to high-energy trauma and 62% were located at the diaphyseal-metaphyseal junctions. The median time to full weight-bearing was 30 days, and 44 fractures healed by bridging callus in a median of 16 weeks. There was one nonunion, one deep, and one superficial infection. The results of the clinical and radiologic evaluations were excellent in 29 fractures, good in 13, fair in two, and poor in one. Interlocking intramedullary nailing proved to be efficient for comminuted, segmental, and unstable tibial fractures, especially in patients with multiple injuries. Compared with conventional intramedullary nailing, the locking procedure increases the stability at the fracture site and extends the indication for nailing to fractures in the proximal and distal diaphyseal-metaphyseal junctions.