Use of flexible intramedullary nail fixation in treating femur fractures in children.
We evaluated use of flexible intramedullary nails in the surgical treatment of femoral shaft fractures in 135 children (138 fractures). Mean age was 9.7 years (range, 2-17 years). Mean follow-up was 15.6 months (range, 6.6-53.5 months). Seventy-two patients were treated with stainless-steel (Ender) nails and 66 with titanium elastic nails. There were 73 midshaft fractures, 48 proximal-third fractures, and 17 distal-third fractures. Fracture patterns were transverse (66), oblique (42), spiral (24), and comminuted (6). There were 16 complications--3 refractures, 2 delayed unions, 3 varus or valgus malalignments, 5 nail-tip irritations, 2 broken interlocking screws (found incidentally on radiographs), and 1 asymptomatic proximal nail migration--for a complication rate of 11.7%. These results demonstrate that use of flexible intramedullary nails in the treatment of femoral shaft fractures in children is successful regardless of patient age, fracture location, or fracture pattern.
Department of Orthopaedics, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Michael
M
Khazzam
Channing
C
Tassone
Xue C
XC
Liu
Roger
R
Lyon
Brian
B
Freeto
Jeffery
J
Schwab
John
J
Thometz
D000293:Adolescent; D001858:Bone Nails; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005594:Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D017102:Fracture Healing; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011859:Radiography; D013193:Stainless Steel; D014025:Titanium
D013193:Stainless Steel; D014025:Titanium