title: Treatment of femoral shaft fractures in children and adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intramedullary rods and external fixators are reported to be more widely used than plating in osteosynthesis of femoral shaft fractures in children. In our institution plating is the routine, and we are reporting our experience in a retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of patients were treated by AO plating for femoral shaft fractures. The first included 36 polytraumatized children and the second involved 10 cases of old malunited fractures. Average follow-up for the patients was 5 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All children achieved union after one operation except one. There were no major complications except one case of mechanical failure. Insignificant limb length inequality occurred in only six children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We believed that plating of femoral shaft fractures is a reasonable option in treating children with fresh and neglected fractures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. maged.m@aun.eun.eg
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mostafa
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gaballa
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D001860:Bone Plates; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome