Refracture following plate removal in supracondylar-intercondylar femur fractures.

In a study of 41 supracondylar-intercondylar femur fractures treated with open reduction and plate fixation, 15 patients requested plate removal due to lateral knee pain over the hardware. A refracture of the distal femur occurred within 10 weeks of hardware removal in 4 (27%) of 15 patients. All refractures occurred during normal functional activities. Patients who request hardware removal following union of a distal femur fracture treated with open reduction and plating should be informed of the possibility of refracture.