Intramedullary nail versus bridge plate in open tibial fractures - randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Open tibial shaft fractures present a challenge to the orthopedic surgeon, because they are common, have a high rate of complications and still have a controversial treatment. As a result of the high incidence of these fractures, the need of a definitive treatment and the unavailability of the intramedullary nail or a well-trained team, we developed this study to compare the effectiveness of the bridge-plating (BP) with the unreamed intramedullary nail (UIMN) in the treatment of open tibial shaft fractures.

Materials And Methods: Eighty patients were included in a prospective, consecutive and random way and then randomized in two groups of treatment: unreamed intramedullary nail and bridge-plating.