A NEW MECHANICAL DEVICE USEFUL TO INSERT THE DISTAL SCREWS IN INTRAMEDULLARY NAILS

The development and introduction of the closed locked intramedullary nail into clinical practice has revolutionized the treatment of fractures of long bone. The most difficult and technically demanding part of the procedure is often the insertion of the distal interlocking screws. A lot of efforts have been made during the past years to make it easier. In according with Whatling and Nokes, we can divide the different approaches to this issue in four main groups:Free-hand (FH) technique;Mechanical targeting devices mounted on image intensifier;Mechanical targeting devices mounted onto nail handle;Computer-assisted techniques.In addition of these, recently it has been proposed a navigational system using electromagnetic field.The main disadvantages of the FH technique, are prolonged exposure to radiation and results depend mostly on the dexterity of the surgeons. FH technique is however the most popular technique.Our targeting device is included into the mounted on image intensifier group. It consists of 2 ...