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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
Treatment with Locking Intramedullary Nailing for Intertrochanteric Fracture of the Femur Utilizing a New Awl with a Distal Positioner
Published on: June 6, 2025
Removal of a Bent Humeral Intramedullary Nail: A Case Report and Review of Removal Techniques
D W van Oyen1,2, W A Kernkamp1, G van Molenbroek1
1Department of Surgery, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Albert Schweitzerplaats, Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
Case:
We present a case of a (65°) bent intramedullary nail (IMN) in a humerus after a pseudoarthrosis in a 65-year-old man. Bent IMNs have been described in femurs and tibias, but are considered rare. Possibly even rarer is the bending of a humeral IMN. This report provides an overview of removal techniques and our approach to this uncommon complication: open sectioning of the bent IMN and 2-piece extraction through the fracture site.
Conclusion:
Removal of a bent or broken IMN is a rare and challenging surgical problem. A bent humeral IMN requires a different and more careful approach for extraction than bent nails in the lower extremity, given the greater potential for neurovascular disruption.
