ACCURACY OF INTRAMEDULLARY TEMPLATES IN FEMORAL AND TIBIAL RADIOGRAPHS

The accuracy of templates used for the preoperative planning of the fi xation of intramedullary fractures depends on radiological magnificati on. To study the accuracy of these templates, we randomly selected 100 femoral and 100 tibial radiographs taken after stabilisation by an in tramedullary nail using a standard technique. We then compared the kno wn nail length with the corresponding measurements on the radiographs. The mean magnification factor for the femur was 9% and for the tibia 7%; these differ considerably from the range of magnification of the m anufacturers' templates (femur, 15% to 17%; tibia 10% to 15%). We conc lude that templates are unreliable for the selection of implant length and that this should be done by intraoperative measurements.