Access to the medullary canal in closed antegrade femoral nailing: a technical report

Although general recommendations exist regarding the correct placement of the skin incision and the direction of deep dissection for closed antegrade intramedullary nailing of the femur, in surgical practice simultaneously establishing the correct entry point and exact direction for insertion of the entry instrument in the lateral (sagittal) plane may be difficult. This is due to sub-optimal radiographic images in the lateral plane as a result of the overlying shadows of the pelvis, variations in the degree of rotation of the femur during patient positioning and fracture reduction manoeuvres, variations in the degree of anterior bowing of the femoral shaft and the anatomy of the greater trochanter, and deviations of the plane of deep dissection caused by the glutei muscle fibres. This may lead to the need for several attempts with increased damage to the glutei muscles, high exposure to radiation and the risk of an iatrogenic fracture. The present technical note describes a simple method for swift, easy and accurate access to the medullary canal during closed antegrade femoral nailing.