Locked Intramedullary Nailing of the Tibia Using a Humeral Nail: A Care Case Report

Authors: Bizole Balepna DY* , Petit H and Handy ED

DOI: 10.23880/jobd-16000292

Volume 9, Issue 4

Abstract

Introduction: Locked intramedullary nailing is the gold standard for the treatment of tibial shaft fractures. The use of a locked humeral nail for this technique is rare and scarcely reported in the literature. This approach was precisely the one employed in the present case. Case Report: A 57-year-old woman was admitted for a closed left leg injury. The radiological and clinical examination revealed a closed leg fracture (42A1 according to the AO classification). It was associated with skin damage (Tscherne-Götzen stage 1). The patient was of small stature (1.48 meters, shoe size 32) due to a growth anomaly related to poliomyelitis in childhood. An emergency locked intramedullary nailing was performed in the tibia. It was done with a 260mm long humeral nail (due to the unavailability of tibial nails of this small size), and the impossibility to place a screw plate due to skin suffering. A posterior plaster boot splint was applied postoperatively, without weight-bearing for six weeks. Rehabilitation was prescribed. At a four-month follow-up, the clinical, radiological and functional results were satisfactory. Conclusion: This surgical procedure can be considered in exceptional cases, particularly in patients with short limb segments, with satisfactory clinical and radiologic outcomes at four months of follow-up.

Keywords: Case Report; Humeral Nail; Locking Intramedullary Nailing; Tibia

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