title: Effect upon longitudinal growth of femur by intramedullary nailing in rats.
abstract: In an experimental study using rats it was found that intramedullary nailing through the distal femoral growth plate resulted in a significant retardation of longitudinal growth. Drilling only and pin removal after 7 weeks also gave significant inhibition of growth after 14 weeks, while drilling only with immediate removal of the pin gave no growth disturbance during the first 7 weeks. The investigation indicates that damage to the central portion of the epiphyseal growth plate in rats leads to inhibition of longitudinal growth.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004838:Epiphyses / Q000293:injuries*; D005269:Femur / Q000254:growth & development*; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors