Seventy-three fractures of the femoral shaft (seventy patients) were
randomized to treatment with interlocked nailing with either the
Brooker-Wills femoral nail (thirty-nine fractures) or the Russell-Taylor
femoral nail (thirty-four fractures). Sixty-one patients (sixty-four
fractures) were prospectively followed from admission until healing of the
fracture. Specific attention was paid to recording operative details,
including technical difficulties associated with insertion of the nails.
Technical difficulties were encountered in insertion of the proximal screw,
distal screw, and nail, and in deployment of the fins. Insertion of the
Russell-Taylor nail was associated with less technical difficulty,
operative time, and estimated loss of blood. The two nails differ in their
biomechanical properties, methods of fixation, and instrumentation. These
differences did not affect the clinical outcome; the fractures in both
groups of patients healed with excellent functional results.