title: Pamidronate Treatment to Prevent Reoccurring Fractures in Children With Cerebral Palsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some children with cerebral palsy (CP) have frequent fractures due to low bone mineral density and receive treatment with pamidronate, an intravenous bisphosphonate. Our review evaluates the outcome of pamidronate treatment in these children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review was performed, and 32 patients (14 girls and 18 boys) with CP Gross Motor Function Classification System level III (2 patients), IV (3 patients), and V (27 patients) treated with 5 courses of pamidronate for low mineral density were identified. Patients with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up were included in the study. Data collection was a review of the demographics and pretreatment, peritreatment, and posttreatment fracture history.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age at treatment was 11.6 years (range, 2.9 to 19.6 y). There were 102 fractures (mean duration 2.5 y) pretreatment and 28 fractures posttreatment. With an average follow-up of 6.4 years, posttreatment rate of fracture decreased to 0.10 fractures per year from the pretreatment rate of 2.4 fractures per year (P<0.001). The femur was the most common bone fractured both pretreatment (54%) and posttreatment (61%); the major site was the distal third of the femur. There were 11 fractures during the course of pamidronate treatment at a rate of 0.33 fractures per year. Only 11 patients (34%) sustained fracture posttreatment. No correlation with fracture pattern or occurrence was found with patient age, number of pretreatment fractures, or sex. Most fractures were caused by low-energy injuries, and most were managed nonoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with CP and disuse osteoporosis, the most common fracture sustained involved the distal femur via low-velocity injury, and most fractures were treated nonoperatively. Although the fracture pattern and the treatment remained unchanged, reoccurring fractures in these children can be effectively treated medically to interrupt the fracturing tendency.
authors.affiliation: Departments of *Orthopaedics †Biomedical Research ‡Medical Imaging §Pediatrics, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE.
authors.forename: Julieanne P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sees
authors.forename: Prakash
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sitoula
authors.forename: Kirk
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dabney
authors.forename: Laurens
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Heidi H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kecskemethy
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bachrach
authors.forename: Freeman
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000077268:Pamidronate; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D004164:Diphosphonates; D000077268:Pamidronate