title: External fixation of pediatric femoral fractures.
abstract: Fifteen pediatric femoral fractures in 14 patients were treated with external fixation using the EBI Orthofix unilateral external fixator. The average patient age was 8.5 years (range, 3-13 years). There were 7 children with multiple injuries and 7 with isolated fractures. The average duration in the fixator was 63 days; average followup was 34 months. All 15 fractures healed without additional operative intervention. Average angulation at the fracture site was 4.4 degrees in the anteroposterior plane (range, 0 degrees-10 degrees) and 4.6 degrees in the lateral plane (range, 0 degrees-11 degrees). There were 5 pin tract infections, all of which resolved with systemic antibiotics. There was 1 case of refracture in a boy with muscular dystrophy. Ten patients had clinically equal leg lengths, 3 patients had < 1 cm of inequality, and 1 patient had a 1.5 cm discrepancy. External fixation is a well-proven technique for managing pediatric femoral fractures in the child with multiple injuries. It is also an effective means of treating isolated femoral fractures in the pediatric population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, USA.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Topping
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Blanco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016267:External Fixators; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome