title: Breakage of the Küntscher nail in fractures of the femur after healing has occurred.
abstract: Four cases of breakage of Küntscher intramedullary nails (AO model) are presented. All 4 nails broke after fracture healing had occurred and all 4 presented breakage of the stem in the same site. In these cases breakage of the nails is not due to instability of the fracture, but always derives from superficial micro-cracks, technologically inevitable, due to defects or irregularities in the metal that expand during load application.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Ortopedia e Traumatologia dell'Ospedale di Mirano.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Surdo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dalla Pria
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011859:Radiography; D012086:Reoperation / Q000379:methods; D014945:Wound Healing