Pediatric Diaphyseal Femur Fractures Research Articles

Orthopaedic Diagnoses in the Black Pediatric Population.

The Black pediatric population is one that has been historically underserved and continues to have unmet needs. Factors including lack of diversity in orthopaedic studies and in historical standards, such as bone age, may inadvertently lead to inferior care. There are certain conditions in this population for which the practicing orthopaedic surgeon should have a higher degree of suspicion, including slipped capital femoral epiphysis, Blount disease, and postaxial polydactyly. Systemic diseases with higher rates in this population have orthopaedic manifestations, including sickle cell disease, vitamin D deficiency, and obesity. Racial discrepancies in access to prenatal care can have orthopaedic consequences for babies, especially cerebral palsy and myelodysplasia. Racial discrepancy exists in evaluation for nonaccidental trauma. Increased awareness of these issues better prepares practitioners to provide equitable care.

Elastic stable intramedullary nailing versus submuscular plating in pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures: a randomized controlled trial among children in South India.

Elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) is the current preferred method for treating diaphyseal femur fractures in children. Introduction of the submuscular locked plate (SMP) fixation construct has opened the debate on treatment options for pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures in the older children and adolescents. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) protocol was designed to compare ESIN and SMP for diaphyseal femur fractures in children. An open-labelled RCT comparing SMP with ESIN was conducted from January 2013 to June 2016, for children aged 6-15 years with closed, acute femoral diaphyseal fractures. Randomization was done through computer-generated randomization sequence and opaque-sealed envelopes. Rate of adverse surgical events including unplanned re-operations was assessed as the primary outcome and secondary analysis was done for time to union, degree of malunion, limb length discrepancy, functional outcome at 2 years, surgical duration and blood loss, radiation exposure, hospital stay, cost incurred and secondary implant removal procedure. Forty children were randomized with allocation concealment. There were three adverse events in the SMP arm and five in the ESIN arm. Fifteen children with SMP underwent routine implant removal compared to only three children with ESIN (P < 0.001). Both ESIN and SMP are equally safe, viable and effective options for treating pediatric diaphyseal femoral fractures. However, the additional cost of secondary surgery for implant removal in the SMP group proved to be a deterrent factor, which led to ESIN being the preferred option in our resource-limited setting.

Analysis of the factors that are important in re-displacement in pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures treated with a spica cast

BackgroundThere is no detailed data on the factors affecting the re-displacement in pediatric femoral fractures treated with closed reduction and early spica casting. This study aimed to investigate the factors effective in re-displacement in pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures (PDFF) treated with spica casting. MethodsIn all, 151 displaced PDFF were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic data of the patients were evaluated. Type of fractures, anteroposterior and lateral angulations, amount of shortening, translation ratio, cast index (CI), gap index (GI), and three-point index (TPI) measurements were evaluated radiologically. Thigh flexion angle (TFA) and knee flexion angle (KFA) were measured. After casting, angulation of more than 10° in any plane and a shortening of more than 10 mm was accepted as re-displacement. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk factors of re-displacement. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed for TFA and KFA. ResultsRe-displacement was detected in 40 patients (26.5%). Transverse type fracture (p = 0.001), TFA ˂71.4° (p <0.001), and KFA ˂52.6° (p = 0.002) were found to be statistically significant factors on re-displacement. It was determined that the combination of transverse femoral fracture and TFA ˂71.4° increased the probability of re-displacement by approximately 14 times. It has been observed that indices such as CI, GI, and TPI were not effective in predicting the risk of re-displacement. ConclusionWhen treating a PDFF with spica casting, one should be aware of re-displacement if the fracture type is transverse, TFA is ˂71.4°, and KFA is ˂52.6°. Level of evidenceLevel III, prognostic

Checklists in Femur Fractures: High Adherence After Implementation of Computer-based Pediatric Femur Guidelines.

Introduction:The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) created an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the care of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures in 2010. Our institution implemented checklists based off these guidelines embedded in a standardized EMR order. The purpose of this study was to describe compliance with checklist completion and to assess safety improvement in a large urban pediatric hospital.Methods:Retrospective and prospective data were collected from 2 years before and 5 years after checklist implementation. This included the patient safety checklists from August 2011 through August 2016. Patients aged 0 to 18 years with a diaphyseal femur fracture were queried from the EMR and included in this study. Patient charts were reviewed for complications, including nerve injury, pressure sore, leg length discrepancy, loss of reduction, failure of fixation, nonunion, delayed union, and infection. Compliance rates were reported based on the AAOS clinical practice guidelines.Results:A total of 313 patients for the postchecklist period were reviewed in this study. Of 219 patients eligible for inclusion, 198 had checklists completed (group B). This group was compared with 100 patients with diaphyseal femur fractures from the period before implementation of the checklist (group A). We found no statistical difference in the number of patients with complications between groups (12% in both groups, P = 0.988). Postoperative checklists demonstrated that 89.9% of patients (178/198) received age-appropriate treatment consistent with the AAOS guideline recommendations after implementation of the checklist. Before the checklist implementation (group A), 94% (94/100) adhered to the guidelines.Conclusion:This study reveals high compliance rates with the AAOS evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the management of pediatric femur fractures. Implementing standardized checklists is possible by embedding them into the EMR. Implementation of checklists did not improve compliance or patient outcomes.

Rigid intramedullary nail fixation of traumatic femoral fractures in the skeletally immature.

Objective:To determine the rate of femoral head osteonecrosis, and other complications following rigid intramedullary (IM) nail fixation of traumatic diaphyseal femur fractures through the greater trochanter in the skeletally immature.Design:Retrospective review, case series.Setting:Level I academic trauma center.Patients/Participants:One hundred forty-eight traumatic pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures in 145 patients treated with rigid IM nail fixation from November 1, 2004 to December 31, 2018.Intervention:Rigid intramedullary nail fixation of traumatic diaphyseal femur fractures through a trochanteric start point in the skeletally immature.Main outcome measurement:Rate of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.Results:Sixty-five fractures in 64 skeletally immature patients met inclusion criteria. Motor vehicle collisions were implicated in 32 fractures. Of the 65 fractures, 5 were open. All rigid IM nails were anterograde with a trochanteric start point. Mean radiographic follow-up was 27.4 ± 8.1 months. Twenty-two patients experienced postoperative pain and/or hardware irritation, with 24 patients (36.9%) undergoing reoperation for hardware removal. No occurrences of infection, malunion, nonunion, refracture, venous thromboembolism, fat embolism, significant leg length discrepancy, or femoral head osteonecrosis were documented. Two cases of heterotopic ossification were observed, 1 requiring surgical excision, yielding a complication rate of 3.1%.Conclusions:No cases of femoral head osteonecrosis were observed following treatment of 65 traumatic diaphyseal femur fractures with rigid IM nailing through the greater trochanter with a mean radiographic follow-up of 27 months. Rigid IM nail fixation with a trochanteric start point is both safe and efficacious for management of diaphyseal femur fractures in the skeletally immature.

Expert Consensus for a Principle-based Classification for Treatment of Diaphyseal Pediatric Femur Fractures.

Recent studies demonstrate considerable deviation from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures (PDFFs). This study aimed to determine if expert-consensus can be reached on a principle-based classification to be applied broadly to a wide variety of PDFF scenarios and if outcomes correspond to adherence to the classification. A 2-stage study was performed. First, a survey of experts using a principle-based approach to PDFF. We conducted a survey of 17 thought-leaders (criteria≥20 y' experience+authors of the seminal pediatric femur fracture studies) who were asked to classify 15 cases of PDFF using the principle-based classification for agreement. Next, we conducted a retrospective review of 289 consecutive PDFF treated (2011-2015) at a level 1 pediatric trauma center. For each case, we compared the actual treatment and proposed "ideal" principle-based classification. We then compared clinical results and outcome data points including the length of stay, physician visits, and hospital charge data. A substantial (κ=0.7) expert-agreement was noted for assigning treatment principles with near-perfect (κ=0.93) agreement on conservative versus surgical management. We obtained agreement on employing a flexible implant (κ=0.84) rigid fixation (κ=0.75) and damage control philosophy (κ=0.64). Suboptimal clinical results were noted in 43% of the undertreated patients (24/56), 18.8% of the adequately treated, and 14.3% of overtreated (P<0.01) patients. An increasing trend for the length of hospital stay and a number of clinic visits was noted as the treatment class increased (P<0.01). Charges were 4.2 times higher for an episode of operative versus nonoperative care (P<0.01). Rigid fixation (class 4) had significantly (P=0.01) higher total and material charges than flexible fixation (class 3). The proposed classification has a substantial agreement among thought-leaders. Clinical results demonstrated significantly more suboptimal results in undertreated fractures, compared with ideally treated or more invasively treated fractures. More invasive treatments led to increased burden to families and the system in terms of length of stay and hospital charges. Level III.

Surgical outcome of fracture shaft femur in children using flexible intramedullary nailing

5Background and Objective: Femoral shaft fractures account for 1.6% of all paediatric bony injuries. Angulation, malrotation and shortening are not always corrected effectively by conservative methods. Fixation of femur fractures in children & adolescents by flexible intramedullary nailing is becoming widely accepted because of the lower chance of iatrogenic infection and prohibitive cost of in hospital traction and Spica cast care. The objective of our prospective study was to study the various aspects of Managing diaphyseal fractures of femur in children aged between 5-15 years by using Titanium Elastic Nailing System& Ender nailing. Subjective and objective study of clinical parameters like pain, comfort to the patients, early mobilization, operative technique, radiological evaluation for union, stages of weight bearing till complete recovery and any associated complications by using the above mentioned methods. Method: Children and adolescents between the age group of 5-15 years with femoral shaft fractures who were admitted Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences meeting the inclusion criteria were selected. All patients underwent titanium elastic nailing & Enders nailing fixation for the femur fracture. Patients were followed up for a period of 6 months at 4,8,12 and 24 weeks after surgery. 50 such cases were studied. Result: The outcome is excellent in 38 (76%) cases, satisfactory in 12 (24%) cases and there were no cases of poor outcome. Conclusion: Flexible intramedullary nail leads to rapid fracture union by preservation of fracture hematoma and limited soft tissue exposure. It also helps in preventing damage to the physis.Our study confers all the advantages which the previous studies have shown at various institutes and is fairly a simple, reliable technique with a shorter learning curve imparting lot of advantages over other intramedullary techniques or other methods followed for management of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures.

[Interpretation of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guideline on the Treatment of Pediatric Diaphyseal Femur Fractures].

The original guideline on the Treatment of Pediatric Diaphyseal Femur Fractures (PDFF) was developed by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in 2009, and the guideline was updated by AAOS in 2015. In this reissue, all recommendations in the original guideline identified as"inconclusive" were removed with seven recommendations reserved and without new recommendations added. The recommendations in the current guideline were listed as follows: (1) Children younger than 36 months with PDFF should be evaluated for child abuse. (2) Pavlik harness or spica cast might be used for infants 6 months and younger with a PDFF. (3) Early spica casting or traction with delayed spica casting could be used for children aged from 6 months to 5 years with a PDFF with less than 2 cm of shortening. (4) Waterproof cast liners might be used for spica casts. (5) Flexible intramedullary nailing might be sugested to treat children aged from 5 to 11 years with PDFF. (6) Rigid trochanteric entry nailing, submuscular plating, and flexible intramedullary nailing might be treatment options for children aged over 11 years to skeletal maturity with PDFF. (7) Regional pain management could be used for patient comfort perioperatively. This paper makes interpretation for this guideline with the aim to provide reference for pediatric surgeons to select appropriate treatment methods for patients with PDFF.

Comparative study of the outcome of pediatric femur diaphyseal fractures treated with titanium elastic nails vs. compression plates

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; A variety of methods have been described for the management of femur diaphyseal fractures in children between ages of 5 to 12 years. Some of the techniques include closed reduction and internal fixation (CRIF) with elastic nails, open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with compression plates, external fixators and skeletal traction with spica casting. This study was done to compare the outcome and complications of diaphyseal femur fractures in pediatric age treated with CRIF with Titanium elastic nails vs. ORIF with compression plates&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; The study was a prospective, clinical study.  A total of 60 patients were studied. 30 patients were treated with CRIF with titanium nails and 30 patients were treated with ORIF with compression plates. Every patient operated was followed up at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 3 monthly thereafter until implant removal.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; Only 1 wound healing complication was noted in the TENS nail group which was skin irritation at the site of pin insertion. In the compression plating group, 6 patients developed wound complications, including superficial infections, deep infections and keloids. The range of movements at knee joint in the two groups was compared.  Only 1 patient had a significant loss of flexion with ROM of less than 100 degrees in the TENS nail group. In the plating group 4 patients had a significant loss of flexion with ROM of less than 100 degrees. Limb length discrepancies were seen in 3 patients in the TENS nail group whereas the compression plating group showed 1 patient. 2 patients in the TENS group developed an angular deformity due to premature weight bearing.  3 patients in the compression plating group developed deformities at the fracture site. The average time for fracture union in the compression plate group was 10.7 weeks and was 14.7 weeks in the patients treated with TENS nail&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; No single fixation method can be considered superior in all types and patterns of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures. Titanium elastic nails can be considered a better implant for treating pediatric femur fractures when compared to compression plates due to the lesser rates of surgical wound complications, better range of movements at knee joint and overall lesser complication rate as was recorded in this study&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Factors Associated With Nonaccidental Trauma Evaluation Among Patients Below 36 Months Old Presenting With Femur Fractures at a Level-1 Pediatric Trauma Center.

In 2009, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons published clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) on the treatment of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures, which recommended a nonaccidental trauma (NAT) evaluation for all patients below 36 months of age. A recent study of these guidelines found <50% clinical compliance with this treatment recommendation. We aimed to identify areas for improvement in compliance with this guideline. A retrospective review was performed of all patients presenting to a single pediatric tertiary care hospital with a diaphyseal femur fracture from January 2007 to June 2013 who were below 36 months old. Medical records were reviewed for documentation of a NAT evaluation, patient characteristics, presence of other fractures or injuries, and hospital of presentation. Radiographs were reviewed for fracture pattern. Statistical analysis was performed to assess for differences overall and before and after CPG publication. During the study period, 281 children below 36 months presented with femur fractures; 41% were evaluated for NAT. Overall, the following factors were significantly associated with receipt of a NAT evaluation: younger age (P<0.001), transfer from an outside facility (P=0.027), and identification of another fracture (P=0.004). Before publication of the CPG, nonwhite patients were much more likely to undergo NAT evaluation compared with white patients (43% vs. 19%; P=0.014). After publication of the CPGs, this differential disappeared (43% vs. 47%; P=0.685). Fracture pattern and patient sex did not influence receipt of NAT evaluation. We found poor utilization of NAT evaluation for patients below 36 months old presenting with femur fracture. Despite CPG publication, only modest improvements in this evaluation occurred over the study period, with less than half of all patients being evaluated. Younger children, patients transferred from other institutions, and patients presenting with concomitant fractures were more likely to undergo NAT evaluation. Compliance with the CPG may be improved by focusing on older children, patients who initially present to tertiary care centers, and those with an isolated femur fracture. Level III-retrospective comparative study.

Bridge Plating Length-Unstable Pediatric Femoral Shaft Fractures

The treatment of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures, particularly length-unstable fractures, continues to be an area of controversy in patients from age 6 to skeletal maturity. Submuscular bridge plating is an alternative that allows for stable internal fixation while minimizing soft tissue disruption. We describe a surgical technique that has simplified both implantation and removal. This technique provides a stable construct in comminuted and unstable fracture patterns allowing for early mobilization with minimal complications.

Comparison of Submuscular and Open Plating of Pediatric Femur Fractures

Plate osteosynthesis is an accepted method of treatment of pediatric femur fractures. Historically, open plating has been used. Submuscular bridge plating has gained recent popularity due to the theoretical advantages of decreased operative time, decreased blood loss, and decreased risk for infection. The purpose of this study was to compare submuscular bridge plating to open plating of pediatric femur fractures. We retrospectively reviewed 79 patients (80 treated femur fractures) between 1999 and 2011 that underwent either open plating (58 femur fractures) or submuscular bridge plating (22 femur fractures). The outcome measures evaluated were operative time, estimated blood loss, malunion, leg length discrepancy, time to union, infection, unplanned return to the operating room, and length of hospital stay after surgery. Among our outcome measures, there was no difference between the 2 groups in terms of operative time, leg length discrepancy, time to union, infection, or length of hospital stay after surgery. There was greater estimated blood loss in the open plating group (P≤0.0001) and greater rotational asymmetry in the submuscular bridge plating group (P=0.005). There was a trend of increased unplanned return to the operating room in the open plating group (5/58 vs. 0/22) although not statistically significant (P=0.32). Submuscular bridge plating and open plating seem to be equally viable options for the management of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures. In this study, open plating had an increase in estimated blood loss and a trend of more unplanned returns to the operating room, whereas submuscular bridge plating had an increase in asymptomatic rotational asymmetry. Further larger, prospective, randomized studies are necessary to further evaluate these operative techniques. Therapeutic Level III.

Complications of plate fixation of femoral shaft fractures in children and adolescents

This study aims to critically analyze the major and minor complications that may be associated with plate fixation of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures. The medical records of skeletally immature patients (6-15years of age) who underwent plate fixation of a diaphyseal femur fracture at a tertiary-care level-1 pediatric trauma center between 1/2003 and 12/2010 were reviewed. Demographic and clinical information regarding the mechanism of injury, fracture type, and surgical technique were recorded. Radiographic evaluation of bony healing, hardware position, and deformity was performed throughout the study period. All intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded. Complication incidence and time from surgery to complication were described. Multivariate logistic regression and multivariate Cox regression models were used to assess the association between different variables and the occurrence of a complication. Kaplan-Meier survivorship curves were used to evaluate the freedom from a complication with longer follow-up. Over an 8-year period, 85 skeletally immature patients (83% males, mean age 10.2 years) underwent plate fixation for diaphyseal femur fractures. Overall, complications were identified in 11 patients (13%). Major complications, defined as those resulting in unplanned reoperation (excluding elective removal of asymptomatic plate/screws), occurred in five patients (6%) and included two patients (2%) with wound infections requiring irrigation and debridement, two patients (2%) with distal femoral valgus deformity (DFVD) leading to osteotomy and hardware removal, respectively, and one patient (1%) with a 3-cm leg length discrepancy (LLD) requiring epiphysiodesis. Minor complications, defined as those not requiring unplanned operative intervention, occurred in six patients (7%) and included two patients (2%) with delayed union, two patients (2%) with symptomatic screw prominence, one patient (1%) with a superficial wound infection effectively treated with oral antibiotics, and one patient (1%) with valgus malunion, which was asymptomatic at early follow-up. There were no intraoperative complications and no reports of postoperative knee stiffness, shortening, or reoperations to address fracture stability. Fifty-two patients (61%) underwent routineelective removal of hardware without related complications following fracture union. Overall, complications occurred postoperatively at a mean time of 20months (range 0-65months), though major complications occurred at a later time point (mean 29.1months, range 0-65months) than minor complications (mean 12.5months, range 0-40.1months). Longer follow-up was associated with higher occurrence of a complication [p=0.0012, odds ratio=1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.08]. The plating of pediatric femur fractures is associated with 6 and 7% rates of major and minor complications, respectively. There were minimal long-term sequelae associated with the complications noted. This complication rate compares favorably with the published rate of complications (10-62%) associated with titanium elastic nail fixation of similar fracture types. Most complications occurred >4months postoperatively, with major complications occurring at a later time point than minor complications. Long-term follow-up of these patients is recommended to ensure that complications do not go undetected. Retrospective case series, Level IV.

Biomechanical Analysis Comparing Titanium Elastic Nails With Locked Plating in Two Simulated Pediatric Femur Fracture Models

Increasing attention is being paid to the influences that the body habitus and weight of the pediatric patient impose upon the fixation methods for femur fractures. Of the widely accepted treatment options, little biomechanical or clinical data exist comparing flexible intramedullary nailing and locked plating. The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical stability of unstable pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures fixed with titanium flexible intramedullary nails or a titanium locking plate using a synthetic femur model. Fracture stabilization was carried out with either 4.0-mm titanium elastic nails or 16-hole 4.5-mm narrow titanium locking compression plates. Axial and rotational testing of each specimen was performed. The axial loading rate was 0.20 mm/s. The torsional loading rate was 0.1 degrees rotation per second. The axial compressive modulus was defined as the compressive stress divided by the compressive strain. The rotational stiffness was defined as the torque moment applied to the femoral head divided by the resulting rotational displacement (in radians). The yield point or load to failure of the simulated fracture constructs was recorded for each specimen. The modulus for comminuted fractures measured during the application of axial compression was 0.657 GPa for plate constructs and 0.326 GPa for elastic nail constructs (P=0.021). The modulus for oblique fractures during axial loading treated with plate fixation or titanium elastic nails was 1.63 and 0.466 GPa, respectively (P<0.0001). The yield point for comminuted fractures occurred at an axial load of 2304.7 N (SD ± 315.77) for plate constructs and 383.6 N (SD ± 139.2) for elastic nail constructs (P<0.001). For oblique fractures, the yield load occurred at 3111.9 N (SD ± 821.9) for plate constructs and at 1367.0 N (SD ± 98.9) for elastic nail constructs (P<0.0001). Locked plating provides a biomechanically more stable construct than elastic intramedullary nailing. Its use as part of the technique of indirect reduction and submuscular plating remain a viable alternative in the treatment of length-unstable pediatric femur fracture patterns. : Provide biomechanical evidence supporting the use of plating techniques in the pediatric femur fracture population.

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

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. 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. 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 (4.1weeks; SD, 2.2), than the ESIN group (9.4weeks; SD 3.9). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of major or minor complications. 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.

Management of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures.

A variety of strategies are utilized for management of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures, depending chiefly on the age of the patient. Other factors that can influence the selection of a technique-which range from skeletal traction with spica casting to immediate spica casting, flexible intramedullary nailing, rigid intramedullary rodding, or plate fixation-are weight, fracture severity, associated injuries, and underlying medical or musculoskeletal conditions. The available evidence regarding technique, outcomes, and complications of the aforementioned treatment options remains largely insufficient, and, at times, conflicting, which contributes to the challenges in management decisions. Considerable controversy has arisen over several topics, particularly the optimal treatment for patients aged 5 to 12years and accepted standards of treatment. This review is designed to provide perspective for some of the most recent influential literature on pediatric diaphyseal femur fracture treatment in light of established evidence and evolving controversies.

Decreased Complications of Pediatric Femur Fractures With a Change in Management

Elastic intramedullary nails are commonly the preferred treatment option for operative stabilization of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures. Increased complication rates have been reported in unstable fractures and older patients treated with TENs (titanium elastic nails). The reported complications have led to a change in management at our institution: limiting the use of TENs and using submuscular plating and trochanteric entry nails as alternatives. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether this change in management has improved outcomes defined by a decrease in complications between 2 time periods. This retrospective study compared 2 cohorts of femur fractures: those treated from January 2001 to January 2003 versus those treated from January 2003 to December 2006. Patient's age, weight, fracture type (stable or unstable), operative fixation technique, and complications were compared. Outcomes were measured by major or minor complications that occurred after operative treatment. Period I consisted of 46 patients and Period II of 95 patients. There was a significant decrease in TEN use in unstable fractures in Period II versus Period I. Submuscular plating increased from 9% in Period I to 28% in Period II. All complications decreased from 52% in Period I to 23% in Period II. Major complications decreased from 22% to 5%, and minor complications decreased from 30% to 18%. Complications in unstable fractures decreased from 57% to 26% and in stable fractures from 48% to 22%. Outcomes of pediatric femur fractures are improved with limiting the use of TENs to stable fractures. Complications resulting from unstable femur fracture management have decreased with other methods of stabilization such as submuscular plating or trochanteric entry nails.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guideline on Treatment of Pediatric Diaphyseal Femur Fracture

Summary of Recommendations The following is a summary of the recommendations in the AAOS’ clinical practice guideline, The Treatment of Pediatric Diaphyseal Femur Fractures (PDFF). This summary does not contain rationales that explain how and why these recommendations were developed nor does it contain the evidence supporting these recommendations. All readers of this summary are strongly urged to consult the full guideline and evidence report for this information. We are confident that those who read the full guideline and evidence report will also see that the recommendations were developed using systematic evidence-based processes designed to combat bias, enhance transparency, and promote reproducibility. This summary of recommendations is not intended to stand alone. 1. We recommend that children younger than thirty-six months with a diaphyseal femur fracture be evaluated for child abuse. 2. Treatment with a Pavlik harness or a spica cast are options for infants six months and younger with …

Treatment of Pediatric Diaphyseal Femur Fractures

Methods of treating pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures are dictated by patient age, fracture characteristics, and family social situation. The recent trend has been away from nonsurgical treatment and toward surgical stabilization. The clinical practice guideline on pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures was undertaken to determine the best evidence regarding a number of different options for surgical stabilization. The recommendations address treatments that include Pavlik harness, spica casts, flexible intramedullary nailing, rigid trochanteric entry nailing, submuscular plating, and pain management. The guideline authors conclude that controversy and lack of conclusive evidence remain regarding the different treatment options for pediatric femur fractures and that the quality of scientific evidence could be improved for the revised guideline.

The operative stabilization of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures with flexible intramedullary nails

Flexible intramedullary fixation is an excellent technique for the stabilization of pediatric diaphyseal femurfractures when an indication for operative repair exists. They can be applied in an antegrade and a retrograde manner and can be used to stabilize fractures from the subtrochanteric region of the proximal femur to a point approximately 4 cm proximal to the distal femoral growth plate.