Metallic Failure in Treatment of Comminuted Fracture of Femur: Clinical Analysis

Moon, Myung Sang; Ok, In Young; Park, Cheun Gun

Abstract

The authors clinically analysed the causes of metallic failure in 21 cases after treatment of comminuted fracture of femur at Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kang-Nam St. Marys Hospital during 5 year period from May 1981 to December 1986. In this series, the nature of metallic property was not studied which may influence the result of failure. 1. Metallic failure occurred in seventeen self-compression plates, one Kuntscher nail, one I-beam nail, one Ender nail, and one Angle blade-plate. 2. Seventeen patients had fractures in the middle or distal one third of femur. 3. Metallic failure occurred from 3 to 19 months following open reduction and internal fixation. The time interval between internal fixation and failure was 9.6 months on an average. 4. Metallic failure of the self-compression plate was observe in the empty hole over the fracture site in 14 out of 17 patients. In the Kiintscher, failure developed at the interlocking hole corresponding with the fracture level. In the Ender nail and Angle blade-plate, failure developed at the fracture site, and in the I-beam nail plating, failure developed at the neck of the fixation screw, and not at the plate. 5. The cause of metallic failure in 17 self-compression plate-treated cases was improper plating such as varus plating in 4, absence of medial buttress due to cortical comminution in 10. Above mentioned two conditions were combined in 4 cases, in which one case of Angle blade-plate was included. Incorrect position of I-beam nail, inadequate postoperative management following Ender nailing and incorrect selection of implant in one case of Kiintscher nailing were the other possible causes of metallic failure.