External fixation of femoral shaft fractures in spinal cord injury patients.

External fixation was used to treat femoral shaft fractures in nine spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. One patient died of unrelated causes during fracture treatment. Of the remaining eight patients, seven healed their fractures. Two complications, one superficial pin-track drainage and one fracture comminution, occurred in the nine patients. Neither complication adversely affected the patient's final result. In patients with acute spinal cord injury, external fixation should be considered for the treatment of closed femoral shaft fractures with marked comminution, and for open femoral shaft fractures with significant contamination or soft tissue loss. In the chronic SCI patient, external fixation of a femoral shaft fracture may increase the patient's level of independence and mobility during fracture healing, and may permit a more rapid return to the patient's pre-fracture functional level.