Prebent Steinmann Pin to Remove the Broken Retrograde Intramedullary Nail After Tibiotalocalcaneal Arthrodesis

Abstract

A retrograde intramedullary nail is an implant option for tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis because it provides mechanical strength and compression at the fusion site, while being less invasive to soft tissue. However, some fusion failures result in implant overloading, resulting in implant failure. The accumulated stress at the level of the subtalar joint will most likely cause implant breakage. It is challenging to remove the broken tibiotalocalcaneal nail’s proximal part. Several surgical procedures for removing the broken tibiotalocalcaneal nail have been reported. In this article, we present a surgical technique for removing a broken tibiotalocalcaneal nail by punching out the proximal part of the broken nail using a prebent Steinmann pin. It has the advantage of being less invasive and not requiring any specific tools to punch out the nail.