Concomitant bent and broken intramedullary nail in the femoral fracture: A case report and review of literature

Abstract

Background: Bent or broken intramedullary nail in femoral fracture fixation is a rare complication but challenging. The purpose of this paper is to present the combination of these rare situation and review the literature to manage this challenging problem. Case: A 23-year-old male who sustained left femur fracture from motorcycle accident. He was treated with closed reduction internal fixation with intramedullary nail. He presented with hypertrophic nonunion with post-traumatic sagittal plane deformity. The nail was concomitant broken at the distal screw hole and bent at the proximal part. The patient was operated to remove the broken and bent nail and osteotomy for deformity correction. Conclusion: Our case demonstration pointed out the consequence of untreated complication of intramedullary fixation in femoral fracture resulting in complex situation. We reported the concomitant bent and broken nail with sagittal plane deformity with excellent outcome after surgical correction. This report also reviewed the armamentarium to manage both bent and broken intramedullary nail. There is no one option fits all solution. It is utmost importance to understand the principle and techniques for encountered any unexpected situation.

Keywords

• Bent nail
• Broken nail
• Removal
• Case report