DECISION-MAKING ERRORS IN THE USE OF INTERLOCKING TIBIAL NAILS

Seventy-one fractures of the tibial shaft were treated with interlocki ng intramedullary nails, None of the fractures were treated with stati c locking of the intramedullary nails, These 71 fractures were studied to determine whether certain fracture patterns are prone to loss of a lignment when static interlocking is not used, Loss of alignment was d efined as shortening of 1 cm or more and/or change in angulation of at least 5 degrees, Loss of alignment occurred in eight of the 71 (11%) fractures, Shortening and/or angulation occurred in seven of 22 spiral and short oblique fractures, and in none of 27 transverse fracture pa tterns. It was concluded that the dynamically locked and nonlocked mod es of intramedullary nailing should not be used in the stabilization o f spiral and oblique fractures of the tibial shaft.