Complicated removal of the distal locking device of Brooker-Wills.

Fractures of the femur in two women, ages 17 and 27, were treated with Brooker-Wills nails. While the distal deployment device was inserted into the nail in one patient, the tip of the driver/inserter broke into the proximal end of the distal deployment device. This complicated the extraction of the nail and the distal locking device after healing of the fracture. In the other patient, removal of the distal locking device and the nail was complicated by inability to engage the tip of the driver inserter into the proximal end of the distal deployment device. The method described here facilitates removal of nails and the distal locks