Orthopedic implant removal is a commonly performed procedure. While implant removal can be associated withimproved symptoms, risks of the surgery are notable. Stripped screws, broken and retained hardware, and morbidityassociated with soft tissue compromise during difficult removal are all common. Familiarity with the instruments iscritical to procedure success. The purpose of...

Several authors have reported complications from screw removal after treatment of slipped upper femoral epiphysis by single screw fixation, and have attributed these to poor screw design. We have developed a simple and reliable method of screw removal which uses a cannulated 8.0 mm end-threaded cancellous screw (Smith & Nephew Richards Medical, Memphis, Tennessee) and a specially designed cannu...

Orthopedic screw removal has proven itself to be a challenge. Access to a Screw Removal Set (TM Synthes) is essential. But what options are available when it cannot remove a broken screw in a lesser toe on a background of osteomyelitis of a lesser toe? A young healthy patient had undergone a 2nd and 3rd toe proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) and distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) fusion usi...

A retrospective review of 21 patients that underwent bone screw removal from the elbow was studied in relation to the type of metal, duration of implantation, and the location of the screws about the elbow. Screw failure during extraction was the dependent variable. Five of 21 patients experienced hardware failure during extraction. Fourteen patients had titanium alloy implants. In four cases, ...

BACKGROUND Currently, the metallic syndesmotic screw is the gold standard in the treatment of syndesmotic disruption. Whether or not this screw needs to be removed remains debatable. The aim of the current study was to determine the complications which occur following routine removal of the syndesmotic screw following operative treatment of unstable ankle fractures. METHODS This was a retrosp...

Breakage rates of tricortical syndesmotic screws after weight bearing range from 10% to 29%. Removal of the portion of the broken screw buried within the tibia often proves quite difficult. We report a new technique to remove a broken cannulated syndesmotic screw. This technique is simple, time saving, and less traumatic than previously reported methods of broken syndesmotic screw removal.

Pedicle screw loosening has been implicated in recurrent back pain after lumbar spinal fusion, but the degree of loosening has not been systematically quantified in patients. Instrumentation removal is an option for patients with successful arthrodesis, but remains controversial. Here, we quantified pedicle screw loosening by measuring screw insertion and/or removal torque at high statistical p...

Removal of broken locking bolts requires careful planning. The following tips facilitate the procedure and reduce operation time. Positioning the patient supine without traction allows optimal adduction. Early screw removal will leave the nail rotationally unstable; apply the jig beforehand. If direct palpation is not possible, access the end cap by a guided drill (Fig 1). Use screw holders (Fi...

Arthrofibrosis is a major complication of tibial spine fracture treatment in children, potentially resulting in knee pain, quadriceps weakness, altered gait, decreased function, inability to return to sports, and long-term osteoarthritis. Thus, prevention rather than treatment of arthrofibrosis is desirable. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an aggressive postoperative rehabilitation an...

Removal of metal implants is a common procedure that is performed for a variety of indications. However, problems such as a buried screw head may occasionally arise and render hardware removal difficult or even impossible. The problem is further compounded when the initial screw was inserted percutaneously or via a minimally-invasive (MIS) technique. In the present paper, we introduce a novel, ...