title: The locked flexible intramedullary humerus nail in pediatric femur and tibia shaft fractures: a feasibility study.
abstract: There are several options for the treatment of long bone fractures in skeletally immature patients. Surgeon experience, type of fracture, and the possibility of damage to the physeal area dictate individual fracture management patterns. Notably, nail devices have not gained popularity in this patient group. Intramedullary locking nails have become the standard of care in adult patients due to decreased morbidity and mortality. A novel nail has been developed for humeral shaft fractures that uses a lateral starting position to avoid damage to the rotator cuff in humeral fracture fixation. This is possible because of the nail's transient flexibility during insertion. This study illustrates that it is feasible to insert this type of nail through multiple entry portals for both tibial and femoral fracture fixation, without damaging the physeal blood supply or growth areas.
authors.affiliation: McGill University Health Center, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bienkowski
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reindl
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Benaroch
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ouellet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001858:Bone Nails; D002648:Child; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006810:Humeral Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome