A Novel Surgical Technique for Extraction of a Firmly Integrated Broken Intramedullary Nail.

Aim: To present a novel technique developed in our institution to remove incarcerated and broken intramedullary (IM) tibial and femoral nails. Background: IM nails are commonly used to treat diaphyseal fractures in both the tibia and femur. These nails can become problematic for the orthopaedic surgeon when they need to be removed, especially in the rare event that the nail has failed and broken. This can leave part of the nail deep in the bone and incarcerated. Multiple techniques have been described to remove a broken nail but we present a novel technique developed based on our experience. Technique: After all other methods to remove the broken nail have failed, a window technique can be employed. This requires a small window of bone to be removed from the cortex overlying the remaining IM nail. A carbide drill is then used to drill a hole into the nail to gain purchase. The edge of an osteotome is placed in the hole in the nail through the window and gently hammered upwards to push the nail towards the over-reamed nail entry point. The nail is repeatedly drilled and pushed until the nail can be removed. The bone window is then replaced. Conclusion: This is a novel technique that works when all other options including hooks, wire stacks and specialist nail removal techniques have failed. It is simple, efficient and effective for both the tibial and femoral nails. How to cite this article: Somerville CMB, Hanschell H, Tofighi M, et al. A Novel Surgical Technique for Extraction of a Firmly Integrated Broken Intramedullary Nail. Strategies Trauma Limb Reconstr 2022;17(1):55-58.

Accuracy and reproducibility of visual estimation of the acetabular cup positioning in total hip arthroplasty on plain radiographs by orthopaedic surgeons.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether trauma and orthopaedic surgeons could visually assess the anteversion and inclination of a total hip replacement acetabular component from standard anteroposterior radiograph and anteversion on a standard lateral radiograph with accuracy or reproducibility.Main outcome measurement: The main outcome was accuracy of visual estimations of angles. The secondary outcome was whether these estimations were reproducible though intra-observer variability. RESULTS: Mean angles of anteversion on the anteroposterior, inclination on the anteroposterior and anteversion on the lateral on formal measurements were 15.2°, 45.4° and 19.9°; and the visual estimates were 17.5°, 45.9° and 18.2°, respectively. When comparing the visual estimates of surgeons and formal measurements, the results ranged from very poor to very good. Intra-observer reproducibility was moderate for all angles. The difference between the consultants and speciality registrars was not significant. CONCLUSION: This study illustrated that not all orthopaedic surgeons were able to visually estimate angles well. Although some of our participants were very accurate, there were some who statistically were very poor. This level of inaccuracy can lead to inconsistency and we strongly suggested specialist software is used to assess acetabular cup position on postoperative plane radiographs rather than relying on 'visual estimations'.