title: Treatment of severely displaced proximal humeral fractures in children with elastic stable intramedullary nailing.
abstract: We report on our 8-year experience of using elastic stable intramedullary nailing for severely displaced proximal humeral fractures in children. Fourteen patients (mean age 13.4 years) with seven epiphyseal and seven metaphyseal fractures underwent intramedullary nailing, using single nail fixation in 12 cases. Clinical and radiological healing was achieved at 2.4 and 3.2 months, respectively. Complications included temporary shoulder and elbow stiffness in one and four cases, respectively, one nail breakage at removal, two cases with minor humeral shortening, and two cases with minor varus deformity. At the final (14.6-month) follow up all patients had a symptom-free full range of motion. Elastic stable intramedullary nailing is a valid method of treating severely displaced proximal humeral fractures in children.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Department, Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital, Alder Hey, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Yuhan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chee
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Agorastides
authors.forename: Neeraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: Alf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bass
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bruce
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D020878:Device Removal; D004838:Epiphyses / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary; D017102:Fracture Healing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D012784:Shoulder Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome