title: The fixion proximal femur nailing system: biomechanical properties of the nail and a cadaveric study.
abstract: The treatment of choice for early mobilization of hip fracture is surgery, which traditionally employs side plates and screws or intramedullary nails. We examined the biomechanical properties of a new proximal femoral nail system. The new expandable Fixion proximal femur nailing (PFN) system, made of stainless-steel alloy, consists of a nail, a peg and an anti-rotation pin. Upon positioning, the nail and peg are expanded to their maximal diameter. The current biomechanical study investigated: nail bending strength and stiffness, fatigue properties and hip peg strength. A cadaveric study that determined the effect of the expandable peg on the femoral head included subsidence testing, pull and torsion testing and intra-osseous pressure (IOP) measurements before and after expansion. Biomechanical properties of the new nail met ASTM F384 guideline requirements. The cadaver study yielded equivalent results for the pullout test between the peg and the hip screw, but found the peg superior in the torsion strength test. IOP during peg insertion and expansion was substantially lower than the threshold pressure that causes avascular necrosis. The biomechanical tests found the new system to be safe and able to provide good abutment of the nail to the bone. We conclude that the Fixion PFN system proved to be an effective proximal femur fracture fixation device.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery "B", Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel. eli.st@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: Ely L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: Nehemia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Blumberg
authors.forename: Shmuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dekel
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001858:Bone Nails; D002102:Cadaver; D004867:Equipment Design; D005269:Femur / Q000601:surgery*; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D013193:Stainless Steel; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014102:Torsion Abnormality
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D013193:Stainless Steel