VIDEO: Not all periprosthetic distal femur fractures can be repaired by nail
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KOLOA, Hawaii — At Orthopedics Today Hawaii, Cory A. Collinge, MD, spoke about periprosthetic fractures of the distal femur. He said it is critical to ensure the total knee implant is stable for patients with periprosthetic fractures.
“That is an early assessment. If it is stable, then we are going to work on repairing it most of the time. That usually means a plate or an intramedullary nail,” he said.
However, not all periprosthetic distal femur fractures can be repaired by a nail.
“We need to be selective in which ones [can be repaired by a nail] and know ahead of time which ones are appropriate. If not, then it is probably a locking plate, especially in the distal condylar segment where the bone is soft, cortices are thin and fixation is limited,” Collinge said.