Intrapelvic Protrusion of a Broken Guide Wire Fragment during Fixation of a Femoral Neck Fracture

Breakage of DHS guide wire during surgery and its migration into the pelvis through the hip joint is a rare complication and its removal can be very challenging for the surgeon. We share our experience of a similar case wherein we used an ‘iliofemoral’ approach to successfully remove the broken transfixing guidewire from the hip joint. Although iliofemoral approach is similar to the lateral window of conventional ilioinguinal approach, yet it is less invasive, has lesser complications, requires less expertise and is easily reproducible by an average orthopaedic trauma surgeon. We recommend that surgical approaches for removal of these broken or migrated wires should be individualized depending upon the exact location of the wire tip in the hip joint or pelvis and need for exposure.