[Follow-up results of complications in tibial intramedullary and interlocking nailing].

Faults in the technique of tibial nail locking and possibilities of complications thereafter are numerous, showing that this procedure is also not foolproof. On the basis of the results of follow-up examinations carried out in 42 cases with perioperative and postoperative complications out of a total of 229 patients on whom tibia nail locking was performed in the period from 1987 through 1992, we were able to state that in the learning curve for the initial period the overall rate of complications amounted to as much as 25.5%. After we-like other authors--made routine use of the method of static nail locking the overall rate of complications dropped to 5.6%. Although we cannot confirm an increase in the occurrence of the compartment syndrome on account of static nail locking, we deem it advisable to point to the possibility of this postoperative complications, as well as to the chance of avoiding incomplete healing by early decompression.