Do two distal locking screws in two planes offer the best option in the nailing of diaphyseal tibial fractures?

Background

Although the intramedullary nail represents the treatment for most tibia diaphyseal fractures, there is no agreement on the configuration of the distal locking screws. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of the configuration of distal locking bolts on the healing of a tibial shaft fracture.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 170 closed fractures of the tibia diaphyseal operated consecutively between 2018 and 2021. Patients with postoperative unacceptable reduction (>5° in any plane or gap >4 mm), nail-canal ratio <0.78, and less than 12 months of follow-up were excluded. Using a univariate and multivariate analysis, we analyzed comorbidities (smoking, Body mass index >30, diabetes), fracture type (OTA/AO), the number (one, two, three distal locking screws), and configuration (uniplanar, biplanar, triplanar) of distal locking screws between patients with and without a bone union.

Results

One hundred and forty-two fractures were available for analysis. The bone union and non-union rates were 89.4 % (n = 127) and 10.6 % (n = 15), respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that type A fractures (OR 6.67, p = 0.010) and using two distal locking screws with a biplanar configuration (OR 3.63, p = 0.036) were independent variables related to bone union. In contrast, smoking habit (OR 0.12, p = 0.041), fractures type B (OR 0.22, p = 0.013), and uniplanar fixation (OR 0.51, p = 0.003) were related to non-union.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that using two distal locking screws (anteroposterior + mediolateral) in the nailing of closed tibial diaphyseal fracture represents the optimal configuration, offering a higher likelihood of healing compared to other locking options.