Functional Outcome of Distal Femur Fracture Treated with Retrograde Nailing Technique

Background: Management of distal femur fractures is always challenging for the surgeons. Retrograde interlocking nailing is one of the effective methods with minimal complications for treatment of such fractures. The objective of the study was to evaluate the functional outcome of retrograde interlocking nailing technique in patients with distal femur fractures. Methodology: This interventional study was conducted at the department of orthopedic surgery, Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad from March 2017 to December 2019. Patients of either gender, between 30 to 65 years age, who presented with acute fracture of distal femur, as a result of trauma within 12-96 hours, requiring surgical intervention were included. Lysholm Scoring System was used to evaluate the functional outcome of patients treated with retrograde interlocking nailing technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24. Results: Total 102 patients gave consent of participation. The mean age of study participants was 43.50±7.26 with the age range from 40-65 years. Male patients were 76.47% and female 23.53%. In majority (63.73%) of cases, mode of injury was road traffic accidents. Statistically significant difference in functional mobility score between the age groups and gender (p < 0.05) was found. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) decline in mean Lysholm score was observed in participants who had been bearing full weight for 3 months. Excellent functional outcome was achieved by 49.02% patients while 34.31% patients achieved good functional outcome. Conclusion: Retrograde interlocking nailing for fracture of distal femur is an effective fixation surgical technique with minimal complications and excellent to good functional outcome. Key words:  Accidents, Femur Fractures, Fracture Fixation, Functional Performance