title: Functional impact of tibial malrotation following intramedullary nailing of tibial shaft fractures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tibial malrotation is a complication that is seen in approximately 30% of patients following locked intramedullary nailing. In this cohort study, we evaluated the hypothesis that tibial malrotation would lead to impaired functional outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with a unilateral tibial shaft fracture who were managed with intramedullary nailing between 2003 and 2007 were identified with use of ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision) codes. After institutional review board approval and written informed consent had been obtained, specific assessment of eligible patients was achieved with use of computed tomography, functional measures (Lower Extremity Functional Scale, Olerud-Molander Score, six-minute walk test), and physical examination. Measures were compared between patients with and without tibial malrotation (defined as tibial rotation of ≥ 10°) on imaging studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 288 patients who were identified, 100 were eligible for the study and seventy consented to participate. The mean duration of follow-up (and standard deviation) for these seventy patients was 58 ± 11 months. Twenty-nine patients (41%) had tibial malrotation. Lower Extremity Functional Scale scores were similar between the groups with and without malrotation (mean, 70.8 ± 8.6 points compared with 72.6 ± 8.7 points; p = 0.41). The results for the other functional tests were also similar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite high rates of tibial malrotation following locked intramedullary nailing of isolated tibial diaphyseal fractures, this finding does not have a significant intermediate-term functional impact.
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, CHA-Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus, 1401, 18e rue Québec (Québec) Canada.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Theriault
authors.forename: Alexis F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pelet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017760:Bone Malalignment / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001858:Bone Nails; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012399:Rotation; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014102:Torsion Abnormality / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D054159:Torsion, Mechanical; D014193:Trauma Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult