Background: Long bone fractures are frequent occurrence among children and considered a frequent pediatric orthopedic injury requiring hospitalization. Authors aimed to retrospectively analyze the outcome of fixation of long bone fractures with elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) among children and adolescents.Methods: From 2010 to 2018, ESIN was performed on 128 children aged 2 to 17 years having single shaft fractures of long bones. The data related to associated injuries, postoperative complications, postoperative treatment, till bony union or removal of rods, mal-union, functional deficit, need for secondary surgical intervention and subjective complaints at follow-up originated from postoperative clinical and radiological consultations carried out regularly. The primary end points were time of complete radiological union or removal of rods.Results: The mean age at the time of accident was 9.5 years. There were 37 (28.9%) femoral fractures, 16 (12.5%) of the lower leg, 51 (39.8%) fractures of radius/ulna and 24 (18.8%) of the humerus. In 2 (2.3%) children, reoperation was necessary due to prominent ends of elastic rods and 6 (4.7%) had early removal of rods due to same reasons. End point of the study, removal of rods noted in 126 (82.8%), radiological evidence of union in 7 (5.5%) and 15 (11.7%) cases were lost at follow-up.Conclusions: ESIN fixation of diaphyseal fractures in children and adolescents is safe. ESIN was found to be minimally invasive method, noted to produce excellent functional as well as cosmetic outcomes.
Outcome of shaft fractures among children treated with elastic stable intramedullary nailing
