Interlocking nails have been shown to be an effective means to stabilise long bone
fractures. When used in non-load sharing fracture repairs with minimal medullary canal
filling, the authors noted instabilityofthe main fracture fragments. The addition
of multiple intramedullary pins in stack pin fashion eliminated the instability. ILN
and ILN/SP constructswere loaded in four-point bending using an unstable osteotomy
model. The gap between the ILN and ILN/SP groups was compared. Significant changes
were seen with the ILN/SP constructs in the cranial to caudal plane.
Keywords
Interlocking nails - stack pins - gap stiffness