Intramedullary nailing of periprosthetic femoral fractures after revision for total knee endoprosthesis. Treatment of periprosthetic femoral fractures by inserted knee endoprostheis with intramedullary shaft by in situ lengthening of the prosthesis with specially prepared slotted hollow nails

BACKGROUND: With the increasing number of revision operations after knee replacement a growing incidence of periprosthetic femoral fractures which are difficult to treat is observed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study describes the operating procedure for osteosynthetic treatment of periprosthetic femoral fractures using a specially made slotted hollow nail which is engrafted with the purpose of in-situ lengthening of the prosthesis and thus becomes stably clamped. From 1999 to 2008 our patients have included 9 who were treated by this method. There were 5 male and 4 female patients with an average age of 63.4 years (range 47–80 years). Prerequisites for the performance of this operation are stability of the prosthesis and knowledge of the type of prosthesis or exact preoperative planning based on CT measurement of the thickness and length relationships. RESULTS: It was possible to conduct a clinical and radiological follow-up examination of all 9 patients after an average time of 29.1 months (range 10–64 months). In all cases load-bearing stabilization of the fracture was confirmed. CONCLUSION: In-situ coupling of an endoprosthesis with a slotted hollow nail represents a valuable treatment option for periprosthetic fractures.