[80 years of intramedullary nailing : New facts and information about a milestone in osteosynthesis].

BACKGROUND

Nearly 80 years ago in the autumn of 1939 Gerhard Küntscher successfully stabilized a patient with the first intramedullary nailing surgery. As a result, the research interest in osteosynthesis significantly increased.

OBJECTIVE

Many important studies referencing Küntscher and his invention have been published over the last decades focusing particularly on the alleged individual performance of the surgeon. The present study highlights the close collaboration between Küntscher and the engineer Ernst Pohl, which developed an enormous creative energy and power. At the same time the intramedullary nail itself is at the center of attention. Despite a harsh critique especially in the first years of its existence this idea quickly spread around the world of trauma surgery. This article gives a retrospective view of which factors promoted its spread and which were barriers.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In this study articles on medical history were taken into consideration as well as the medical specialist literature. In addition personal letters, memoirs and other individual written sources from relevant players were consulted to allow for a change of perspective. The latter were fundamental for this study.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

The study showed the eminent impact that the close cooperation between Küntscher and Pohl had on the success of the intramedullary nail. The synergy of Küntscher's medical expertise and Pohl's ingenuity found solutions for problems other people could not solve. World War II interrupted this close interaction but at the same time helped to disseminate the technique globally which in turn contributed to the advancement of the idea.