INTRAMEDULLARY INTERLOCKING NAILING FOR HUMERAL FRACTURES - EXPERIENCES WITH THE RUSSELL-TAYLOR HUMERAL NAIL

The Russell-Taylor intramedullary interlocking nail has been used on 3 9 patients with fractures that occurred at various levels of the humer us. Thirty patients had acute fractures and nine had pathological frac tures. Twenty-five patients with acute fractures were re-examined afte r their fractures had united and assessed according to Neer's classifi cation of shoulder function. Twenty-two (88 per cent) had excellent an d satisfactory shoulder function. Pain relief was achieved in all path ological fractures. Shoulder pain encountered in a few patients in thi s series, where nailing was performed by the antegrade route, was main ly due to problems associated with the proximal interlocking screw.