• Jihyeung Kim, Seung-Baik Kang, Kyungpyo Nam, Seung Hwan Rhee, Jong Won Won, and Hyuk-Soo Han.
• Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
• Clin Orthop Surg. 2012 Dec 1; 4 (4): 307-12.

BackgroundThe incidence of distal femur fracture in the elderly has been increasing recently, and commonly occurs with osteoporosis. Retrograde intramedullary nailing has been considered a good surgical option for distal femur fracture. The purpose of the present study was to present our surgical results with retrograde intramedullary nailing for distal femur fractures with osteoporosis.MethodsThirteen patients diagnosed with extra-articular distal femur fracture and osteoporosis and managed with retrograde intramedullary nailing were retrospectively reviewed. Cement augmentation was used in four patients, shape memory alloy was used in eight patients and both were used in one patient. All patients were followed up for more than 2 years. Radiologic alignments were scored and Tegner and the Lysholm activity score was used for a functional assessment.ResultsThe average time to clinical union was 13 weeks (range, 10 to 15 weeks). In 12 of our cases, the total alignment scores were excellent. At the last follow-up, the mean range of motion was 116° (range, 110° to 125°). The average functional score at postoperative 1 year was 2.6 (range, 1 to 5).ConclusionsRetrograde intramedullary nailing is a good surgical option for distal femur fracture with osteoporosis. Cement augmentation and shape memory alloy can also be used for added mechanical stability. This surgical technique is very useful for distal femur fracture with osteoporosis as it promotes fracture healing and early rehabilitation.

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