To determine if any differences exist in healing and complications between reamed and unreamed nailing in patients with tibial shaft fractures.
Design: Prospective, randomized.
Setting: Level 1 trauma center.
Patients: 45 patients with displaced closed and open Gustilo type I-IIIA fractures of the central two thirds of the tibia.
Intervention: Stabilization of tibial fractures either with a slotted, stainless steel reamed nail or a solid, titanium unreamed nail.
Main Outcome Measures: Nonunions, time to fracture healing, and rate of malunions.
Unreamed nailing in patients with tibial shaft fractures may be associated with higher rates of secondary operations and malunions compared with reamed nailing. The time to fracture healing was significantly longer with unreamed nails.
Copyright remains with the authors and publisher.
To determine if any differences exist in healing and complications between reamed and unreamed nailing in patients with tibial shaft fractures.
Design: Prospective, randomized.
Setting: Level 1 trauma center.
Patients: 45 patients with displaced closed and open Gustilo type I-IIIA fractures of the central two thirds of the tibia.
Intervention: Stabilization of tibial fractures either with a slotted, stainless steel reamed nail or a solid, titanium unreamed nail.
Main Outcome Measures: Nonunions, time to fracture healing, and rate of malunions.
Unreamed nailing in patients with tibial shaft fractures may be associated with higher rates of secondary operations and malunions compared with reamed nailing. The time to fracture healing was significantly longer with unreamed nails.
Copyright remains with the authors and publisher.