Segmental fracture of the femur with concomitant genu valgum: a one-stage solution.

Abstract

Segmental fractures of the femur are high energy injuries usually treated with internal fixation. We present the case of such a fracture in which the femur had a preexisting genu valgum deformity from an earlier distal femur physeal arrest. This prevented standard intramedullary nailing or minimally invasive plate fixation. A technique of simultaneous correction of the distal femoral deformity coupled with stabilization of the segmental fracture is reported. Surgery involved an external fixator-assisted corrective osteotomy of the deformity and simultaneous minimally invasive plating of the segmental fracture. The advent of modern concepts of deformity correction has allowed a combination with present day internal fixation techniques to achieve correction, stabilization and union in a problem that would otherwise require two stages of surgery.