Safe zones and a technical guide for cerclage wiring of the femur: a computed topographic angiogram (CTA) study

摘要

Introduction Cerclage wiring for reduction of complex femoral shaft fractures can create iatrogenic vascular injury. Objective To describe the anatomical relation of blood vessels to the femur and develop a technical guide for safe passage of cerclage wire.Materials and methods CT lower-limb angiographs (CTA) of 80 patients were reviewed and analysed to identify the superficial femoral artery (SFA) and the deep femoral artery (DFA) as well as the relation of those arteries to the femoral cortex. The total length of the femur was measured and divided into eight equal segments (seven levels). At each level, the medial half of the femur was divided into eight sectors labelled A through H and the position of the SFA and DFA was recorded. The shortest distance between the femoral cortex and the SFA and DFA at each level was measured. The data was analysed using STATA version 10.0.