Original scientific paper
Nail Position has an Influence on Anterior Knee Pain after Tibial Intramedullary Nailing
Nikica Daraboš
Ivana Dovžak Bajs
Željko Rutić
Anela Daraboš
Damir Poljak
Jasminka Dobša
Abstract
Our aim was to determine the possible relationship between anterior knee pain (AKP) and nail position marked as a
distance from tip of nail to tibial plateau (NP) and to the tuberositas tibiae (NT). Nail position has an influence on anterior
knee pain after tibial intramedullary nailing. We evaluated postoperative outcome results of 50 patients in the last 3
years with healed fractures initially treated with intramedullary (IM) reamed nails with 2 or 3 interlocking screws on
both parts of the nail and with the use of medial paratendinous incision for nail entry portal. Patients marked a point on
the visual analog scale (VAS) that corresponded to the level of postoperative AKP felt. Two groups of patients were formed
on the basis of AKP (pain level was neglected): groups A and B, with and without pain, respectively. The difference between
the two groups concerning NP measurements was statistically significant (p<0.05), but not concerning NT measurements
at the p<0.05 level. Patients were classified by pain with high accuracy (98%) according to a classification
tree. Symptoms of AKP did not appear if the tip of the nail position was more than 6.0 mm from the NP and more than
2.6 mm from the NT. However, for better evaluation of these results it will be necessary to examine a larger number of
postoperative patients with AKP.
Keywords
tibial fractures; knee; pain; osteosynthesis; intramedullary nailing
Hrčak ID:
72190
URI
Publication date:
30.9.2011.
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