Interlocking compression nailing: a report on 402 applications

Nailing techniques have changed tremendously in recent years. One significant development has been the interlocking compression nail (ICN) which provides active interfragmentary compression. Apart from its beneficial effect in the treatment of acute fractures, allowing early weight-bearing and mobilization of the patient the ICN is useful in many types of revision operations: resection and stabilization of pseudarthroses without cancellous bone grafts, corrective operations of malalignments through a minimally invasive technique, as well as the readaptation of the resection sites in arthrodeses. Between April 1993 and September 1996, 402 consecutive applications of an ICN were followed prospectively to evaluate the practibility and reliability of the system. A special focus was placed on the active compression device. Along with 153 acute fractures, 112 non-unions and 41 cases of malalignment were treated; 96 arthrodeses were performed. Even for difficult courses of healing only a low complication rate was observed, and a remarkably high percentage was managed successfully.