Malrotation of Long Bones

Abstract

Rotational malreduction is a common yet underreported postoperative complication following intramedullary nailing of long bone fractures. In most situations, this can be prevented at the time of initial surgery with meticulous preoperative planning, careful use of intraoperative fluoroscopy, and awareness of risk factors for malrotation. However, rotational alignment remains difficult to assess by clinical examination so a high index of suspicion is always necessary. Here, the authors review the literature on this complication and report on 3 such cases of femoral and the tibial malrotation, methods for calculating femoral version and tibial torsion, and techniques for correcting these deformities.

Keywords: Femoral fractures; Intramedullary fixation; Intramedullary nail; Malrotation; Osteotomy; Postoperative complication; Tibial fractures.