Treatment of femoral shaft fracture with an interlocking humeral nail in older children and adolescents

Femoral Shaft Fracture in Post-polio Syndrome Patients: Case Series from a Level-I Trauma Center and Review of Literature

BACKGROUND

Femoral shaft fracture in patients of post-polio syndrome (PPS) represents an uncommon yet complex injury pattern. Poorly developed soft-tissue envelope, decreased muscle bulk, reduced vascularity, regional osteopenia, joint contractures, and altered bony anatomy impose significant surgical challenges. Thorough pre-operative planning is imperative as each case requires individualized approach and method of fixation. The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical outcomes in such patients following fracture fixation and to assess the surgical challenges encountered and provide solutions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective case series of 33 patients with femoral shaft fracture in PPS limbs was undertaken. Mode of injury, method of fixation, surgical time, intra-operative blood loss, union time, and complications were recorded.

RESULTS

Low-energy fall was the most common mechanism of injury (73%). Thirty-three patients underwent fixation with intramedullary nailing being the most common mode (79%). Femoral canal diameter, femoral bow, fracture location and morphology and clinical deformities of the patients are key governing factors that determine the choice of implant. Locking plates, pre-contoured anatomical plates, and titanium elastic nailing system offer an alternative in patients unsuitable for nailing. With no difference between various implants, average time for bone healing was 13.8 ± 4.4 weeks. All patients resumed full weight-bearing mobilization and returned to pre-injury activity status at the end of 6 months post-surgery.

CONCLUSION

With detailed pre-operative work-up, contemplating intra-operative difficulties, individualized surgical plan, careful handling of soft tissues, and availability of back-up implants, good clinical outcomes can be achieved in femur fractures in PPS patients.

Using humeral nail for surgical reconstruction of femur in adolescents with osteogenesis imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare inherited connective tissue disorder caused by mutation of collagen which results in a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations including long bone fragility fractures and deformities. While the treatment for these fractures was recommended as using intramedullary fixation for minimizing stress concentration, the selection of the best implant in the adolescent OI patients for the surgical reconstruction of femur was still problematic, due to anatomy distortion and implant availability. We are reporting the surgical modification by using a humeral nail for femoral fixation in three adolescent OI patients with favorable outcomes.

[Effectiveness of rigid interlocking nails through tip of greater trochanter for fixation of femur shaft fracture in adolescent]

Objective

To explore the effectiveness of rigid interlocking nails through the tip of the greater trochanter for fixation of femur shaft fracture in adolescent.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 23 adolescents with femoral shaft fractures treated between June 2011 and June 2015. Of 23 cases, 19 were male and 4 were female, aged from 13 years and 6 months to 17 years (mean, 15.2 years), weighed from 40 to 77 kg (mean, 53.5 kg). The causes were traffic accident injury in 13 cases, sports injury in 7 cases, and falling injury in 3 cases. Fracture located at the proximal 1/3 in 6 cases, middle 1/3 in 10 cases, and distal 1/3 in 7 cases; fracture was typed as transverse in 10 cases, oblique in 6 cases, spiral in 1 case, and comminuted in 6 cases. The course of disease was 3-17 days (mean, 6.2 days). At last follow-up, the leg length discrepancy, femoral neck shaft angle, femoral neck diameter, and articulotrochanteric distance (ATD) were measured on the X-ray films.

Results

Wounds healed in all patients, and no infection occurred. All patients were followed up 15-36 months (mean, 26.5 months). The patients had no pain and had normal gait, without lameness. The X-ray films showed bone healing at 5-13 months (mean, 6.5 months). No nonunion, delayed union, malunion of more than 5 °, or rotational deformity occurred. The removal time of internal fixations was 12-24 months (mean, 19.5 months) after operation. No heterotopic ossification, re-fracture, proximal femoral deformity, or femoral head necrosis occurred during follow-up. Two patients had early epiphyseal closure of greater trochanter, which had no impact on gait; leg-length inequality of less than 1 cm was observed in 2 cases. At last follow-up, the neck shaft angle, femoral neck diameter, and ATD of normal and affected sides were (131.7±6.3) and (132.9±7.8)°, (34.1±3.2) and (33.9±3.8) mm, and (27.8±9.2) and (26.5±8.5) mm, showing no significant difference between two sides ( t=-0.24, P=0.86; t=0.18, P=0.92; t=1.03, P=0.49).

Conclusion

It is a reliable and effective method to use rigid interlocking nails inserted through the tip of the greater trochanter for the fixation of femur shaft fracture in adolescent.

Comparison of titanium elastic nails with traction and spica cast in treatment of children's femoral shaft fractures

Titanium Elastic Nails (TEN) are commonly used to stabilize femoral fractures in school-aged children, but there have been few studies assessing the risk of traditional traction and application of spica cast. The aim of this study was to compare of titanium elastic nails with traction and spica cast in treatment of children's femoral shaft fractures. A group of thirty children aged 6-12 years with one-sided femoral shaft fracture were randomly allocated either to traction with spica casting group or titanium elastic nails group and were followed up to 1 year. Factors such as age, sex, time needed for walking with aids, time needed for independent walking, time needed for callus formation, time absent from school, time spent in hospital, malunion, malalignment and wound complication were recorded and compared. Fifteen patients (10 boys, 5 girls) with a mean age of 8.33 +/- 1.63 years were treated by traction and spica casting. The other 15 (9 boys, 6 girls) with a mean age of 8.73 +/- 1.53 years underwent surgery using TEN. Mean absence time from school, length of hospital stay, time needed for walking with and without help and angular deviation (varus or valgus) were significantly lower in the group treated by TEN (p-value < 0.05). Time needed for callus formation was significantly lower in spica casting group (p-value < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding malunion wound complications and hospital charges. The results indicated that a child in whom a femoral fracture is treated with TEN achieves recovery milestones significantly faster than a child treated with traction and spica cast.

Rigid intramedullary nail fixation of femoral fractures in adolescents: what evidence is available?

Background

Femoral fracture in adolescents is a significant injury. It is generally agreed that operative fixation is the treatment of choice, and rigid intramedullary nail fixation is a treatment option. However, numerous types of rigid nails to fix adolescent femoral fractures have been described. Hence, the aim of this paper was to collate and evaluate the available evidence for managing diaphyseal femoral fractures in adolescents using rigid intramedullary nails.

Materials and methods

A literature search was undertaken using the healthcare database website (http://www.library.nhs.uk/hdas). Medline, CINAHL, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify prospective and retrospective studies of rigid intramedullary nail fixation in the adolescent population.

Results

The literature search returned 1,849 articles, among which 51 relevant articles were identified. Of these 51 articles, 23 duplicates were excluded, so a total of 28 articles were reviewed. First-generation nails had a high incidence of limb length discrepancy (Küntscher 5.8 %, Grosse–Kempf 9 %), whilst second-generation nails had a lower incidence (Russell–Taylor 1.7 %, AO 2.6 %). Avascular necrosis was noted with solid Ti nails (2.6 %), AO femoral nails (1.3 %) and Russell–Taylor nails (0.85 %). These complications have not been reported with the current generation of nails.

Conclusions

Rigid intramedullary nail fixation of femoral fractures in adolescents is a useful procedure with good clinical results. A multiplanar design and lateral trochanteric entry are key to a successful outcome of titanium alloy nail fixation.