We reviewed 286 consecutive patients with a fracture of a pubic ramus. The overall incidence was 6.9/100 000/year in the total population and 25.6/100 000/year in individuals aged over 60 years. The mean age of the patients was 74.7 years and 24.5% suffered from dementia. Women were affected 4.2 times more often than men. After injury, geriatric rehabilitation was frequently required and although most surviving patients returned to their original place of residence, their level of mobility was often worse. The overall survival rates at one and five years were 86.7% and 45.6%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age and dementia were the only independent significant factors to be predictive of mortality (p < 0.05).

Patients with a fracture of a pubic ramus had a significantly worse survival than an age-matched cohort from the general population (log-rank test, p < 0.001), but this was better than patients with a fracture of the hip during the first year after injury, although their subsequent mortality was higher. Five years after the fracture there was no significant difference in survival between the two groups.

Reamed intramedullary nailing was carried out on 57 Gustilo grade-IIIB tibial fractures in 55 patients. After debridement, there was substantial bone loss in 28 fractures (49%). The mean time to union was 43 weeks (14 to 94). When there was no bone loss, the mean time to union was 32 weeks; it was 45 weeks if there was bone loss. Fractures complicated by infection took a mean of 53 weeks to heal. Revision nailing was necessary in 13 fractures (23%) and bone grafting in 15 (26%). In ten fractures (17.5%) infection developed, in four within six weeks of injury and in six more than four months later. Of these, nine were treated successfully, but one patient required an amputation because of osteomyelitis.

Our results indicate that reamed intramedullary nailing is a satisfactory treatment for Gustilo grade-III tibial fractures.

We made a prospective study of 208 patients with tibial fractures treated by reamed intramedullary nailing. Of these, 11 (5.3%) developed dysfunction of the peroneal nerve with no evidence of a compartment syndrome.

The patients with this complication were significantly younger (mean age 25.6 years) and most had closed fractures of the forced-varus type with relatively minor soft-tissue damage. The fibula was intact in three, fractured in the distal or middle third in seven, with only one fracture in the proximal third. Eight of the 11 patients showed a ‘dropped hallux’ syndrome, with weakness of extensor hallucis longus and numbness in the first web space, but no clinical involvement of extensor digitorum longus or tibialis anterior. This was confirmed by nerve-conduction studies in three of the eight patients.

There was good recovery of muscle function within three to four months in all cases, but after one year three patients still had some residual tightness of extensor hallucis longus, and two some numbness in the first web space. No patient required further treatment.