title: Compression-plate fixation of femoral shaft fractures in children aged 8 to 12 years.
abstract: Twenty-one patients between the ages of 8 and 12 years with 23 femoral-shaft fractures underwent dynamic compression plating (DCP) between August 1993 and February 1996. Eleven patients had isolated femoral-shaft fractures, five had associated long-bone injuries, and five had multiple organ injuries. A 4.5-mm DCP plate was used in each case. Patients were kept non-weight bearing with crutches for an average of 8 weeks. Hardware failure occurred in two patients at 6 weeks. One was treated with revision plating, and the other, with spica casting. Both healed uneventfully. No other complications occurred. All patients were radiographically and clinically healed at last follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fyodorov
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Sturm
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D001860:Bone Plates; D002648:Child; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies