Intraoperative Guidewire Breakage During Proximal Femoral Nailing Managed Through Direct Anterior Approach: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Authors

Sandeep Patel, Arjit Bansal, Prasoon Kumar, Ankit Dadra, Paluru Hemanth Kumar Reddy, Manoj Kumar

Published in

JBJS case connector. Volume 16. Issue 3. Jul 01, 2026. Epub Aug 21, 2026.

Abstract

We report a rare intraoperative complication during proximal femoral nailing for an intertrochanteric femur fracture in a 54-year-old male. During helical blade preparation, the guidewire migrated intra-articularly and fractured during withdrawal. Retention risked cartilage damage, while retrieval through the blade tract was unsuitable and threatened implant stability. With the nail in situ, safe surgical dislocation was not feasible. The fragment was successfully removed through an direct anterior approach. At 14 months follow-up the patient had returned to his pre injury activity level indicating excellent functional outcome.
Anterior approach offers a safe, joint-preserving option for retrieval of intra-articular guidewire fragments while maintaining implant stability and femoral head vascularity.

PMID:
42627951
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Aug 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.