Femoral fracture at the proximal end of an intramedullary supracondylar nail: a case report
Leibner, E.D.; Mosheiff, R.; Safran, O.; Abu-Snieneh, K.; Liebergall, M.
American Journal of Orthopedics 28(1): 53-55
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 1078-4519 PMID: 10048361 Document Number: 500976
Retrograde intramedullary supracondylar nails have been added to the orthopedic armamentarium for treatment of distal femoral fractures. Major complications of this new technique have not been noted. We report a case of a femoral fracture at the proximal end of a retrograde intramedullary supracondylar nail. We hypothesize that this complication may be due to the proximal end of the nail acting as a stress riser, with the cortical holes drilled for the interlocking screws compounding this effect.