The influence of intramedullary nailing on the development of metastases in the treatment of an impending pathologic fracture: an experimental study.
An experimental model was developed to study the effects of a pathologic fracture and intramedullary nailing on metastatic spread. The end point used was the production of lung metastases in rats inoculated intracortically with a rat rhabdomyosarcoma. We found that a pathologic fracture markedly increases the incidence of lung metastases and that intramedullary nailing, by decreasing the incidence of fractures, decreases this incidence. The surgical procedure itself does not increase the incidence significantly. It is concluded that in metastatic disease prophylactic nailing of an impending pathologic fracture is the treatment of choice.
D000818:Animals; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000517:prevention & control; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000009:adverse effects; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery