[Bundle nailing of forearm fractures. Indications and results]

Hackethal developed the nailing procedure named after him in 1959. The rationale of Hackethal nailing is an elastic jamming, which can only be achieved by obeying four rules: jamming of the nails in the cortical window, jamming then in the waist of the medullary cavity, spreading the bunch of nails in the metaphysis and filling up the conus of the medullary cavity with short nails. We confined Hackethal nailing to closed and first-degree open fractures of the 2nd-5th sixth of the shaft of the forearm. If closed reduction and nailing were impossible, we performed a plate fixation (AO), in second- or third-degree open fractures we treated with fixators (Orthofix). In a 13-year period we performed Hackethal bundle nailing in 65 patients with 115 fractures. In 54% patients surgery was performed within the first 8 hours following admission. We used two or three nails passing the fracture and one short nail. Except for 1 case, in which we needed a plaster of Paris, we achieved rational stability. On average, the nails were removed after 11.5 months. The healing and complication rates were assessed by follow-up examination of 49 patients. The results were excellent and good in 71.5% patients, satisfactory 11.4% and poor in 17.1%. Complications consisted of a 2.1% infection rate (osteitis), 3.1% non-union, 2.1% with a synostosis, 1% refracture (during removal of the nails) and 3.1% migration of nails, combined with tendon rupture. We have seen 1 case with metallosis. In conclusion with our confined spectrum of indications Hackethal nailing is a low-risk method, which leads to a rational stability and early bone healing.