Treatment of Diaphyseal Tibial Fractures Distal to a Total Knee Arthroplasty by Intramedullary Nailing Is Safe and Effective

Abstract

Objectives: To report the clinical result of a series of patients who underwent intramedullary nailing (IMN) of tibial shaft fractures distal to a total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Design: Retrospective case series.Setting: Level-1 trauma center.Patients/Participants: Patients who sustained a tibial shaft fracture distal to a TKA treated with an IMN.Intervention: IMN of tibial shaft fractures distal to a TKA. Main Outcome Measurements:Postoperative weight-bearing status, readmissions, and complications or failure of treatment within 90 days; Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores at the final follow-up; failure of treatment; and revision surgery.Results: Nine patients were included. The average age was 71.4 years (range 55-87 years). All TKAs were cemented. The average distance between the tibial keel and the cortical density of the tibial tubercle was 24.1 mm (range 19.5-26.7 mm). Six nails were inserted using an infrapatellar portal, 2 were inserted using a suprapatellar portal, and 1 was inserted using a lateral parapatellar approach. The median nail diameter was 10 mm (range 9-12 mm). All fractures were healed at the final follow-up. There were no infections or arthroplasty-related complications. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores ranged from 100% to 74% (median 82%). Conclusion:Overall, we report on the largest cohort in the literature undergoing IMN of a tibial shaft fracture distal to a TKA. We demonstrate that IMN of diaphyseal tibial fractures distal to a TKA can be performed safely. We additionally demonstrate that this treatment is highly effective in achieving fracture union with no arthroplasty-related complications.