Reamer Breakage during Intramedullary Nailing in Tibial Shaft Fractures: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Interlocked intramedullary nailing is the most common treatment for closed tibial fractures. Reaming is a fundamental step in this surgical technique, and reamer breakage is a rare yet challenging complication during this operation.

A 34-year old male with a tibial shaft fracture was admitted for early closed tibial nailing. During the reaming process, the reamer broke and stuck in the medulla at the isthmus level. We extracted the broken piece by back hammering a cannulated T-handle placed on the ball tip guide pin.  

In this closed and quick method, we did not use any extra device other than standard equipment of intramedullary nailing.