Breakage of a third generation gamma nail: a case report and review of the literature

Case report: unique failure of a Synthes TFNA fenestrated lag screw in a peritrochanteric nonunion

Background:

Intertrochanteric femur fractures are a common orthopaedic injury that are often treated surgically. Cephalomedullary nails (CMN) are frequently the implant of choice for intertrochanteric femur fractures, resulting in low complication rates. Implant failure is a rare but reported complication. Common locations of failure include the proximal nail aperture, distal screw holes, and implant shaft. In this case report, we describe a CMN failure pattern through fenestrated cephalic screw holes.

Case:

A 70-year-old female sustained an OTA 31A-2.2 peritrochanteric fracture during a motor vehicle collision. She was treated the following day with a Synthes Trochanteric Fixation Nail—Advanced CMN utilizing a fenestrated cephalic screw. There were no intraoperative complications. She was made non-weight bearing for 8 weeks after the procedure due to ipsilateral foot fractures. At 6 months follow-up she was noted to have a delayed union. 11 months postoperatively she suffered a ground level fall and the cephalic lag screw failed through its fenestrations, resulting in varus collapse of her fracture at the femoral neck. The patient then underwent nail extraction and salvage total hip arthroplasty.

Conclusion:

Cephalomedullary nail implant failure is presented with implant fracture propagation through a fenestrated cephalic screw. Cephalomedullary lag screw failure is rare and can be difficult to manage. It is important to monitor new implants for unique failure mechanisms.

Characteristics of intramedullary nail breakage in pertrochanteric femur fractures: a summary of 70 cases

Objective

To reveal noteworthy characteristics of intramedullary (IM) nail breakage in pertrochanteric femur fractures.

Materials and methods

The data from 6 patients with IM nail breakage in our hospital between August 2008 and May 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. With an additional 64 cases reported in articles in the PubMed database prior to October 2019, a total of 70 cases were reviewed and analysed; epidemiological patient data and data on the initial trauma, fracture type, nail selected for the original surgery, time from surgery to breakage, mechanism and location of breakage, status of fracture healing, salvage treatment and prognosis were assessed.

Results

Seventy patients with pertrochanteric fractures, including 2 stable fractures and 68 unstable fractures, experienced IM nail breakage at a mean of 9.4 months after the initial surgery. Among them, 9 (12.9%) occurred within 3 months, 23 (32.9%) between 3 and 6 months and 38 (54.3%) after 6 months. The mean age was 72.3 years, and 16 (22.9%) patients were younger than 65 years old. When nail breakage occurred, 66 fractures (94.3%) exhibited delayed union/non-union. Self-dynamisation was found in 12 cases (17.1%). The salvage procedures included 4 partial/total implant removal procedures, 17 hemi/total hip arthroplasty procedures, 3 conservative treatment procedures, and 46 revised osteosyntheses, of which 7 cases (15.2%) sustained secondary implant failure. No significant differences were found between the failure rates of IM nails and extramedullary(EM) devices (odds ratio [OR], 3.429; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.632–18.877; p = 0.330).

Conclusion

IM nail breakage is a rare complication lack of time regularity and mostly occurs in unstable pertrochanteric fractures in the presence of delayed union/non-union. Osteosynthesis revision can be conduct by a new IM nail or EM device but considerable secondary failure rate is noteworthy. Self-dynamisation may be a warning sign of nail breakage.

Intramedullary Nail Breakage and Mechanical Displacement in Patients with Proximal Femoral Fractures: A Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Claims Database Analysis

Objective

This study evaluated the rates and patterns of intramedullary nail (IMN) breakage and mechanical displacement for proximal femur fractures and the factors associated with their occurrence.

Patients and Methods

Patients with subtrochanteric, intertrochanteric, or basicervical femoral neck fractures treated with IMN from 2016 to 2019 were identified from commercial and Medicare supplemental claims databases and were followed for up to two years. Kaplan–Meier analysis estimated the cumulative incidence of and patterns of breakage/mechanical displacement. Multivariable Cox regression models evaluated the factors associated with breakage/mechanical displacement.

Results

A total of 11,128 patients had IMN fixation for subtrochanteric, intertrochanteric, or basicervical femoral neck fractures: (mean SD) age 75.6 (16.4) years, 66.2% female, 74.3% Medicare supplemental vs 26.7% commercial insurance. Comorbidities included hypertension (62.9%), osteoporosis (27.3%), cardiac arrhythmia (23.1%), diabetes (30.7%), and chronic pulmonary disease (16.3%). Most fractures were closed (97.2%), intertrochanteric or basicervical femoral neck (80.1%), and not pathological (91.0%). The cumulative incidence of nail breakage over two years was 0.66% overall, 1.44% for combination fractures, 1.16% for subtrochanteric fractures, and 0.49% for intertrochanteric or basicervical fractures. The cumulative incidence of mechanical displacement was 0.37% overall, 0.43% for subtrochanteric fractures, 0.42% for combination fractures, and 0.36% for intertrochanteric or basicervical femoral neck fractures. Half of the breakages occurred within five months after surgery and half of the mechanical displacements occurred within 75 days. Age 50–64 (vs 75+) and subtrochanteric or pathological fracture were more commonly associated with nail breakage. Complicated hypertension was more commonly associated with mechanical displacement.

Conclusion

The incidence of IMN breakage and mechanical displacement in US commercial and Medicare supplemental patients with proximal femur fractures from 2016 to 2019 was low (0.66% and 0.37%, respectively up to two years). Age 50–64 (vs 75+) and subtrochanteric or pathological fracture were more commonly associated with breakage. Complicated hypertension was associated with mechanical displacement.

A new perspective towards failure of gamma nail systems

Uncommon causes of nail failures and surgical reinterventions were determined. The study included 23 osteoporotic patients, 13 of whom followed a fast recovery program with early walking (FWB group). The other 10 patients were not allowed full weight bearing until 6 weeks (NFWB group). The T-score was determined before surgery for all cases. A case with a nail breakage after a failed DCS implant fixed in another clinic was also analyzed. The nail was revised and the broken implant underwent a metallurgic and microscopic examination. The average T-score was 2.5 for the patients that followed the fast recovery program and 2.7 for the patients from non-full weight bearing. Four patients, 1 from the NFWB group and 3 from FWB group, presented a screw cut-out. It was found that the errors of the guiding instruments may create dents, scratches or micro-fractures on the titanium coating that lead to an early implant failure. Imperfect reduction leads to incorrect implant placement and a high incidence of failure. Damaging the titanium protective coating, in a low force, high cycles scenario can cause structural failure. Delays in fracture healing and material fatigue are the most common causes of nail failure and can lead to catastrophic complications.

Revision surgery due to failed internal fixation of intertrochanteric femoral fracture: current state-of-the-art

Failed treatment of intertrochanteric (IT) femoral fractures leads to remarkable disability and pain, and revision surgery is frequently accompanied by higher complication and reoperation rates than primary internal fixation or primary hip arthroplasty. There is an urgent need to establish a profound strategy for the effective surgical management of these fragile patients. Salvage options are determined according to patient physiological age, functional level, life expectancy, nonunion anatomical site, fracture pattern, remaining bone quality, bone stock, and hip joint competency. In physiologically young patients, care should be taken to preserve the vitality of the femoral head with salvage internal fixation; however, for the elderly population, conversion arthroplasty can result in early weight bearing and ambulation and eliminates the risks of delayed fracture healing. Technical challenges include a difficult surgical exposure, removal of broken implants, deformity correction, critical bone defects, poor bone quality, high perioperative fracture risk, and prolonged immobilization. Overall, the salvage of failed internal fixations of IT fractures with properly selected implants and profound techniques can lead to the formulation of valuable surgical strategies and provide patients with satisfactory clinical outcomes.

Migration of the Lag Screw after Intramedullary Treatment of AO/OTA 31.A2.1-3 Pertrochanteric Fractures Does Not Result in Higher Incidence of Cut-Outs, Regardless of Which Implant Was Used: A Comparison of Gamma Nail with and without U-Blade (RC) Lag Screw and Proximal Femur Nail Antirotation (PFNA)

The best intramedullary nail for the treatment of unstable AO/OTA 31.A2.1-3 fractures remains uncertain. A total of 237 patients (45 male, 192 female) were eligible for the assessment with an average age of 81.9 ± 10.5 years and a minimum follow-up of six months. We assessed the cut-out rate, the TAD and calTAD (Tip Apex distance) of three different implants. An overall cut-out rate of 2.5% (n = 6) was observed. The cut-out rate was 1.2% (n = 1) in the Proximal Femur Nail Antirotation (PFNA) group, 3.7% (n = 3) in the Gamma Nail group and 2.9% (n = 2) in the Gamma3^® with a U-Blade (RC) lag-screw group. The TAD and calTAD differed between the cut-out and non-cut group-20.0 mm vs. 18.5 mm and 13.1 mm vs. 15.3 mm, respectively. A significantly higher TAD of 32.5 mm could be seen in the cut-out after PFNA (p < 0.0001). The only significant change in follow-up using Parker's ratio was observed in the PFNA group (p < 0.0001). The rate of patients requiring surgery after complications was 8.4% (n = 20) without any significant difference between the three groups. The PFNA blade showed significant migration within the femoral head, however the cut-out rate remained the smallest compared to Gamma3 with or without additional U-Blade (RC) lag screw.

Breakage in Two Points of a Short and Undersized "Affixus" Cephalomedullary Nail in a Very Active Elderly Female: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Introduction

Trochanteric fractures of the femur are common in elderly individuals with osteoporosis. The use of cephalomedullary nails is increasing, and they are now the most commonly used fixation devices, especially for the treatment of unstable trochanteric fractures. The nail breakage is not the most common complication of intramedullary nailing. Many scientific papers report nail breakage in a specific location: through the lag screw hole, the nail shaft, or the distal locking hole.

Materials and Methods

We present a case of an 84-year-old patient treated with modular revision hip arthroplasty due to the breakage in two points of a cephalomedullary nail implanted 3 years earlier for a subtrochanteric fracture.

Results

After modular revision hip arthroplasty, the functional results and quality of life have been excellent.

Conclusions

As far as we could determine, this appears to be the first case of a breakage of a cephalomedullary nail in two points after nonunion in a very active elderly female.

Salvage for intramedullary nailing breakage after operative treatment of trochanteric fractures

BACKGROUND

Trochanteric fractures are one of the most common fractures in elderly people. The use of intramedullary nails is an option for their treatment, especially in unstable patterns. Nail breakage is a rarely reported complication. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of nail breakage in our center. Secondary objectives are to show the management of this complication in our institution as well as the technical problems, complications and final outcomes of these patients in our hands.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In a retrospective case series review between 2010 and 2015, we analyzed 1481 patients with trochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures who had been treated by cephalomedullary nailing in our centre. 13 patients with nail breakage were identified.

RESULTS

The percentage failure rate in our institution is 0.87%. 9 (69.2%) patients were women and 4 (3.8%) were men, with a mean age of 74.6 years (range 47-90). In all cases the mechanism of injury was a simple fall from standing height. Initial fracture types were: 1 case of AO/OTA 31A1, 6 cases of AO/OTA 31A2 and 6 cases of AO/OTA 31A3. Only 3 cases had a good overall reduction with a correct TAD, an optimal femoral neck-shaft angle and absence of fracture gaps >5 mm after surgery. The average time from the first surgery to the diagnosis of implant breakage was 333 days (range 70-1460), 11 months. Breakage occurred at the nail junction with the lag screw in 11 cases and in the distal nail aperture in 2 cases.

CONCLUSIONS

An insufficient reduction with varus and fracture gaps >5 mm, the use of short nails in unstable patterns with subtrochanteric involvement and patients with certain comorbidities are facts observed that can contribute to the development of delayed or nonunion with subsequent nail breakage. Different salvage treatments, conversion to hip arthroplasty or revision osteosynthesis, may be considered but we think that prevention has to be the best treatment.

Failure of a Rotation Control Gamma 3 Lag Screw Used to Treat a Trochanteric Fracture

Gamma 3 rotation control lag screws (U-blade) are particularly useful when treating rotational and unstable fractures of the proximal femur. A 93-year-old woman who underwent closed reduction of a trochanteric fracture and internal fixation with a Gamma 3 nail rotation control lag screw. The patient presented with metal failure and U-blade bending following a fall occurring 4 weeks after surgery. Here, we present a case report summarizing removal of the failed lag screw.

Fatigue failure of the cephalomedullary nail: revision options, outcomes and review of the literature

Cephalomedullary nail (CMN) failure is a rare entity following hip fracture treatment. However, it poses significant challenges for revision surgery, both mechanically and biologically. Nail failure rates have been reported at < 2%; however, no published studies have reported revision surgery procedures and their respective outcomes. We present a regional experience, with outcomes, of the revision options. We identified 20 fatigued CMNs that underwent four different revision procedures. Mean age was 73 ± 15.24 years, with a 3:1 female preponderance, and a median ASA grade of 3. Post-operative CMN radiographs demonstrated a significant number of fractures were fixed in varus, with reductions in neck-shaft angles post-operatively. A "poor" quality of reduction resulted in significantly earlier nail failure, compared to "adequate" and "good" (p = 0.027). Tip-Apex Distance (TAD) mean was 23.2 ± 8.3 mm, and an adequate TAD with three-point fixation was seen in only 35% of cases. Mean time to failure was 401.0 ± 237.2 days, with mean age at failure of 74.0 ± 14.8 years. Options after failure included revision CMN nail, proximal femoral locking plate (PFLP), long-stem or restoration arthroplasty, or femoral endoprosthesis. Barthel Functional Index scores showed no significant difference at 3 and 12 months post-operatively, nor any difference between treatment groups. Mean 12-month mortality was 30%, akin to a primary hip fracture mortality risk according to NICE guidelines. Mortality rates were lowest in revision nails. Subsequent revision rates were higher in the PFLP group. There is no reported evidence on the best surgical technique for managing the failed CMN, with no clear functional benefit in the options above. Good surgical technique at the time of primary CMN surgery is critical in minimising fatigue failure. After revision, overall mortality rates were equivalent to reported primary hip fracture mortality rates. Further multicentre evaluations are required to assess which technique convey the best functional outcomes without compromising 12-month mortality rates.

Breakage of the Tail Portion of the Lag Screw during Removal of Proximal Femoral Zimmer Natural Nail: Report of Two Cases with Technical Notes

Proximal femoral cephalomedullary nailing is one of the treatments of choice for intertrochanteric fracture. Zimmer Natural Nail® (ZNN; Zimmer) is one of the alternatives. We report two cases of broken tail portion of the ZNN lag screw during the removal procedure. This may be the first reported cases in scientific literature with this pattern of failure. We report these cases to highlight one of the possible problems that could occur during removal of this implant which can possibly prolong the operation time significantly if the required device is not prepared.

The challenge of non-union in subtrochanteric fractures with breakage of intramedullary nail: evaluation of outcomes in surgery revision with angled blade plate and allograft bone strut

PURPOSE

Subtrochanteric fractures have a bimodal age distribution. They usually require open reduction and internal fixation. Closed reduction and intramedullary nail fixation rate are increased for this type of fracture. As a result, the hardware breakage and non-union rate is high among such patients. Our purpose is to evaluate the outcomes of the role of blade plate and bone strut allograft in the management of subtrochanteric non-union by femoral nailing.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reported a group of 22 patients with subtrochanteric non-union, associated with breakage of the intramedullary nail with medial femoral allograft bone and lateral blade plate and wire (PS) s; and a group of 13 patients with subtrochanteric non-union, associated with breakage of the intramedullary nail treated with lateral blade plate and screws (CG). The chosen criteria to evaluate the two group during the clinical and radiological follow-up were the quality of life, measured by The Short Form (12) Health Survey (SF-12), the hip function and quality of life related to it, measured by the Harris Hip Score (HHS), bone healing, measured by Radiographic Union Score (RUS) by XR and CT at 1 year after the surgery, and postoperative complications. The evaluation endpoint was set at 12 months.

RESULTS

The Bone healing measured by RUS occurred and also the full recovery before the first trauma measured by SF-12 and HHS are better in PS group. We only had three unimportant complications in PS while four breakage hardware in CG.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that in complicated non-unions, the use of blade plate and bone strut allograft has a definite positive role in the management of such cases.

Risk factors for intramedullary nail breakage in proximal femoral fractures: a 10-year retrospective review

INTRODUCTION Intramedullary nailing is a common treatment for proximal femoral fractures. Fracture of the nail is a rare but devastating complication that exposes often frail patients to complex revision surgery. We investigated which risk factors predict nail failure. METHODS We reviewed all cases of nail breakage seen over a 10-year period in a single busy trauma unit; 22 nail fractures were seen in 19 patients. Comparison was made with a group of 209 consecutive patients who underwent intramedullary fixation of a proximal femur fracture with no nail breakage over a 2-year period. RESULTS In the fractured nail group, mean age was 70.4 years (range 55-88 years).The mean time to fracture was 10 months (range 2.5-23 months). Logistical regression was used to show that low American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, subtrochanteric fracture and pathological fracture were independent risk factors for nail fracture. CONCLUSIONS Young patients with a low ASA score are at highest risk of nail breakage. We advise close follow-up of patients with these risk factors until bony union has been achieved. In addition, there may be merit in considering other treatment options, such as proximal femoral replacement, especially for those with pathological fracture with a good prognosis.

How evolution of the nailing system improves results and reduces orthopedic complications: more than 2000 cases of trochanteric fractures treated with the Gamma Nail System

PURPOSE

The incidence of trochanteric fractures has increased significantly during the last few decades, especially in elderly patients with osteoporosis. The dynamic/sliding hip screw and the cephalomedullary nail are the most commonly used fixation methods to treat trochanteric fractures. The improvements in the Gamma Nail System (GNS) associated with a correct surgical technique reduced the postoperative orthopedic complications. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of the different Gamma Nails.

METHODS

The present study is a retrospective analysis of 2144 patients treated with GNS between January 1997 and December 2011 for trochanteric fractures, classified according to AO classification method. The patients were divided into three groups according to the nailing system: 525 were treated with Standard Gamma Nail (SGN), 422 with Trochanteric Gamma Nail (TGN) and 1197 with Gamma3 Nail.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of intra-operative complications was 1.21 %; the incidence of intra-operative complications for each group was 1.71 % for SGN group, 0.47 % for TGN group and 1.25 % for Gamma3 Nail group. The overall incidence of postoperative complications was 5.48 %, and the incidence for each group was 10.73 % for SGN group, 9.92 % for TGN group and 2.92 % for Gamma3 Nail group.

CONCLUSION

The GNS is a safe device with a low rate of intra-operative complications. The evolution of this nail system reduces postoperative complications, thus improving the results at follow-up and confirming that the Gamma3 Nail is a safe and predictable device to fix trochanteric fracture.

Breakage of a Lag Screw of Cephalomedullary Nail: A Technique of Removal

A broken lag screw of the cephalomedullary nail is a rare condition. Removal of the retained lag screw from the femoral head is also very challenging. This article describes a surgical technique and the modified instrument that was available in the operating room for removing the broken implant by closed technique.

Fatigue performance of medical Ti6Al4V alloy after mechanical surface treatments

Mechanical surface treatments have a long history in traditional engineering disciplines, such as the automotive or aerospace industries. Today, they are widely applied to metal components to increase the mechanical performance of these. However, their application in the medical field is rather rare. The present study aims to compare the potential of relevant mechanical surface treatments on the high cycle fatigue (R = 0.1 for a maximum of 10 million cycles) performance of a Ti6Al4V standard alloy for orthopedic, spinal, dental and trauma surgical implants: shot peening, deep rolling, ultrasonic shot peening and laser shock peening. Hour-glass shaped Ti6Al4V specimens were treated and analyzed with regard to the material’s microstructure, microhardness, residual stress depth profiles and the mechanical behavior during fatigue testing. All treatments introduced substantial compressive residual stresses and exhibited considerable potential for increasing fatigue performance from 10% to 17.2% after laser shock peening compared to non-treated samples. It is assumed that final mechanical surface treatments may also increase fretting wear resistance in the modular connection of total hip and knee replacements.

Late-Onset Screw Migration into Iliac Vessels 21 years after Hip Arthrodesis

Iatrogenic injuries to the vascular system are a rare but serious complication of hip surgery. We report a case of an 83-year-old man who presented with intrapelvic migration of a screw into the space between the external iliac artery and vein 21 years after hip arthrodesis. The patient was treated with laparotomy, and the damaged artery was excised and sutured. This is the first case of a late vascular complication secondary to screw migration after hip arthrodesis.