Nail Alone Results in Similar Clinical Outcomes with Less Perioperative Morbidity Compared to Nail Plate Combination In Treatment of Native Distal Femur Fractures
Retrospective review compared outcomes of distal femur fractures treated with rIMN and plating, indicating similar union rates but differing morbidity.
Key Points
Combination of rIMN and plate resulted in higher union rates, yet increased operative time and blood loss compared to rIMN alone.
Median operative time for rIMN+plate was longer at 256 minutes, while rIMN alone took 150 minutes, highlighting significant differences in surgery duration.
Union rates showed perioperative differences, with higher radiographic union in the rIMN+plate group at 66.7% compared to 42.3% for rIMN alone.
Controlling for age, time to weight bearing remained similar across types, indicating no advantage in recovery speed with combined treatment.