[Combination of external fixator and internal synthesis in fractures and pseudoarthrosis of the leg. Principle indications and results].

A combination of internal and external fixation has been used on 58 occasions in fractures and pseudarthroses in the leg. In almost two-thirds of the cases, the fractures were compound. Several situations favour this combination of fixation: internal fixation complements an initial external fixation by stabilising the fracture site in the shaft or by allowing reconstruction of joint surfaces, external fixation complements any inadequate internal fixation due to comminution of the fracture or poor skin cover that only allows a minimum of internal fixation, external fixation secondarily comes to the help of internal fixation in cases of skin necrosis or secondary bone infection. The authors believe that a combination of internal and external fixation has real advantages and that, when used with good sense, it should not lead to any specific complications.