[Elastic stable intramedullary nailing of a lower leg fracture in a patient with chronic spinal cord injury. A therapeutic alternative].

Therapy of lower leg fractures in patients with chronic spinal cord injury is discussed controversially in the literature. Pros and cons are pointed out for both conservative and operative therapy. Getting out of his wheelchair a 59-year-old patient with chronic spinal cord injury suffered a lower leg fracture. Minimally invasive elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) was performed to gain sufficient stability for physiotherapy. The follow-up yielded excellent clinical and radiological results. ESIN is an adequate therapeutic alternative for lower leg fractures in patients with chronic spinal cord injury.