Children's femoral fractures: the Edinburgh experience.
Femoral fracture is a relatively common cause of trauma admission to the paediatric surgical services in Edinburgh. Our current policy is to use gallows traction for babies and infants under 2 years and external Liston splintage with straight leg balanced skin traction for older children followed by either early mobilization or the application of a hip spica or cast brace. We reviewed the use of this management protocol over a 10-year period (323 cases) in order to assess its value and complications. A prospective study was made of 143-patients between 5 and 10 years after their fracture to assess residual disability. We found our management protocol to be a simple, highly reliable method of treatment with a minimum of complications or long-term disability.
Sutcliffe
J R
JR
Department of Paediatric Surgery, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Wilson-Storey
D
D
Mackinlay
G A
GA
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000628:therapy*; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012606:Scotland; D013165:Splints; D014143:Traction