Intramedullary nails for pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures in older, heavier children: early results

Reynolds, Richard A. K.; Legakis, Julie E.; Thomas, Ronald; Slongo, Theddy F.; Hunter, James B.; Clavert, Jean-Michel (2012). Intramedullary nails for pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures in older, heavier children: early results. Journal of children's orthopaedics JCO, 6(3), pp. 181-188. Springer 10.1007/s11832-012-0404-4

[img] Text
Intramedullary Slongo.pdf - Published Version
Restricted to registered users only
Available under License Publisher holds Copyright.

Download (375kB)

PURPOSE

A common treatment for pediatric femur fractures is intramedullary nail (IMN) insertion. Elastic stable intramedullary nails (ESINs) are often used for these procedures in heavier patients, but the potential for complications and malunion is greater. We describe here a rigid IMN specifically designed for adolescents, the adolescent lateral entry femoral nail (ALFN). The purpose of this study was to compare the recovery and complications for patients treated with ESINs to those treated with the ALFN.

METHODS

Our study design was a retrospective cohort study. We performed a review of medical records of 22 children ages 10-17 requiring surgical fixation of a femur fracture for a 2½-year period. Patients selected for the study had traumatic diaphyseal femur fractures and were treated with ESINs without end-caps or ALFNs. Our analyses evaluated injury, surgical, and outcome information for all patients.

RESULTS

Twenty-two patients were eligible for inclusion and were divided into two groups according to their treatment: the ESIN group with 7 patients and the ALFN group with 15 patients. We then performed a comparison of complications and recovery for these patients. The mean time to full weight-bearing was significantly less for the ALFN group (4.1 weeks; SD, 2.2), than the ESIN group (9.4 weeks; SD 3.9). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of major or minor complications.

CONCLUSIONS

Older, heavier pediatric patients treated for femur fracture with ALFNs had a shorter recovery time than similar patients treated with ESINs. However, the outcomes for both groups were satisfactory.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Endocrinology (DFKE) > Clinic of Paediatric Surgery

UniBE Contributor:

Slongo, Theddy

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

1863-2521

Publisher:

Springer

Language:

English

Submitter:

Christoph Steffen

Date Deposited:

02 Apr 2014 15:30

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:28

Publisher DOI:

10.1007/s11832-012-0404-4

PubMed ID:

23814618

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Adolescent femoral nail, Elastic stable intramedullary nail, Intramedullary nailing, Pediatric femur fracture

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.41546

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/41546

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback