[Removal of a broken massive tibial intramedullary nail]

A problem has arisen when replacing the reamed tibia nail by the massive unreamed tibia nail. In case of nail fracture it is difficult to remove the distal fragment from the medullary cavity. It may also occur that the connecting screw between the insertion handle and the nail breaks off at the edge of the implant, which much complicates removal of the nail. The authors have developed a technique to remove the implant without having to saw a fissure in the marrow. A concave instrument is slid over the part of the nail left behind after which the two are connected by means of a K wire. This method has been successfully applied in 2 patients.