Complications following the use of the Marchetti flexible intramedullary nail

Twenty-seven patients, with eight femoral and 20 tibial fractures, were treated with the Marchetti/Vincenzi flexible intramedullary nail between March 1993 and May 1994 in a District General Hospital. Clinical and radiological reviews were performed on all patients except for one who died. There was a high complication rate in both groups (63.5 per cent femoral and 43 per cent tibial). Particularly common was coronal mal-alignment. Other complications included non-union, external rotation, and fracture shortening with proximal migration of the nail. These data suggest that flexible intramedullary nails do not give adequate stability to either femoral or tibial fractures. We believe they should not be used in the lower limb without external support or delayed weight bearing.