title: Open intramedullary nailing of neglected femoral shaft fractures: indications and outcome.
abstract: The management of neglected femoral shaft fractures poses a challenge to the orthopaedic surgeon. We evaluated the outcome of open intramedullary nailing of neglected femoral shaft fractures at our centre. A total of 52 patients with 55 femoral shaft fractures, with a mean age of 39.6 years, were studied. The mean interval from injury to presentation was 24 weeks (range = 4-156). Mean time to achieve fracture union was 20 weeks (range: 14-48). The time to fracture union and weight bearing had a positive correlation with the time interval between injury and fracture fixation, development of deep wound infection and osteomyelitis. There is a need to make orthopaedic and trauma care accessible to underserved communities to avoid the adverse outcome of neglected fractures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. aakinyoola@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Akinyoola
authors.forename: Olaniran
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Orekha
authors.forename: Afolabi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Odunsi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001858:Bone Nails; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome