Management of distal femoral fractures: A comparative study between open reduction and internal fixation by distal femur locked plate and retrograde nailing

Abstract

Background: Fractures of the distal femur are usually rare and severe , The usual context is a high energy trauma in a young patient and a domestic accident in an elderly person. There are different modalities of management of distal femur fractures among which are the retrograde intramedullary nail and locked compression plate. Both operative stabilizing systems follow the principle of biological osteosynthesis . Aim of work: To evaluate and compare the outcome of each method of fixation of distal femur fractures as regard; operative time; early mobilization; knee range of motion; time of healing and complications. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 32 patients attending to El-Helmeya Military Hospital, and Sayed Galal University Hospitals, for comparison between fixation of distal femoral fractures using femoral retrograde intramedullary nails (RN) and distal femoral locked compression plats (LP). The study was conducted between September 2019 and May 2020, The series included 16 cases treated with femoral retrograde interlocking nails (RN) and 16 cases treated with distal femoral locked compression plats (LP). Results: The retrograde nail was superior to locked plate in the aspect of operative time with less operative blood loss and less time to union . Conclusion: Based on this study; accepted outcome had been achieved with both methods compared with results of previous studies. However in our series nail showed better union rate and less surgical morbidities. Key words: Distal femur fracture; retrograde nail; locked plate.