Treatment of femoral shaft fractures in children by closed reduction and external fixation

Abstract EN

This is a prospective study performed from December 2005 to November 2007 on 25 children with closed traumatic femoral shaft fractures admitted to the orthopedic department of Suleiman Teaching and Causality Hospital.

Their ages ranged from 3 to 13 years with male to female ratio of 17:8.

All cases were treated by gentle fracture reduction and application of nonliteral external fixation by the closed method.

The average time needed for the fracture to unite was 72.6 days (ranged from 45–121 days).

The complications reported in the study were: 12 % pin tract infection, 8 % of temporary knee joint stiffness and 4 % of heterotopic ossification at the site of pin insertion.

Neither bone refractor nor clinical shortening of the injured limb were reported.

The study concluded that unilateral external fixation is a good method of holding femoral shaft fractures in children.

The treatment is associated with minimum morbidity and will result in satisfactory bony union, low rates of complications, and early return to school.