Abstract

Femoral shaft fractures (FSFs) are very common fractures, and they can cause disability and lengthened morbidity if treatment is inappropriate. Intramedullary nailing (IMN) is an approach in which nails are used to achieve a solid fixation of the fracture region. It became an effective approach for the management of FSF; similar to any treatment strategy, it has some complications. However, this review aimed to assess the complications of IMN for the management of FSFs. A search process was carried out through the scientific databases, and several relevant terms were used to obtain articles concerning current research subjects. All types of articles written in English were eligible and included in this review. The eligible articles were enrolled in the discussion section under two major titles. The first included the different complications related to IMN, and the second involved reviewing previously reported complications of IMN. There were several complications associated with IMN for the treatment of FSFs, including thermal necrosis, vascular complications, nerve injury, infection, iatrogenic fracture, malalignment, nonunion, and discrepancies in leg length. Based on the available literature, the most reported complications included infection, malunion, nonunion, and leg length discrepancies.

Key words: Intramedullary nailing, complications, femoral shaft fracture, Saudi Arabia, systemic review