[Comminuted open tibial fracture. An alternative treatment method]

The treatment of comminuted fracture of the tibia is one of the problem cases in operative fracture care. In our department we favour stabilization with the aid of interlocking nails, providing absolute fixation of the interlocking screw is possible. The patient is positioned on the Maquet table, and the fracture of the tibia is temporarily reduced by the Goetze percutaneous cerclage wiring technique. The special feature of our method is that we remove the wires after nailing. In this way the advantages of both techniques, anatomical reduction with cerclage wires and the stability and possibility of early mobilization afforded by interlocking nailing are combined. Poor blood flow in the periosteum is avoided by the immediate removal of the wires.