Locked plate fixation for femoral shaft fractures

Fifteen patients with a mean age of 31 years, who had sustained different t ypes of femoral shaft fracture, were treated by locked plate fixation using standard AO dynamic compression plates (DCP). The fracture was open in fiv e patients and ten had other significant injuries. Thirteen patients were a vailable for follow-up at a mean period of 5 months (range, 3-10 months). A ll fractures united and the mean time to full weight bearing was 8 weeks. S crew failures, with breakage or bending, occurred in five patients and resu lted in loss of alignment of the fracture in one. Nine patients regained a full active range of movement of the knee. two had an extension lag of 10 d egrees and two had restricted flexion. The strength of the quadriceps muscl e was grade 4 to 5 in ten patients and grade 3 in the remaining three. At t he end of the study period ten patients had returned to their normal activi ties, one used a walking stick and two remained under a rehabilitation prog ramme. Our preliminary results suggest that locked plates may offer a usefu l alternative technique for the treatment of femoral shaft fractures.