Fig. 1.

a. Intramedullary splint in situ [10, 11]. b. Splints used to fix fractures in left ribs 5–8. 3D CT scan at 3 months shows good alignment but little bony bridging across the fracture site (except for the fifth rib – most superior rib fixed). In fact the amount of bony callus formation is comparable to the 9^th and 10^th rib fracture sites which were treated conservatively. c. Same patient at 6 months with complete healing of all ribs. The fracture sites in ribs 5 and 6 are imperceptible