Elastic intramedullary nailing in unstable fractures of the paediatric tibial diaphysis: A systematic review

Purpose The majority of paediatric tibial fractures can be managed conservatively. However, there is a small but significant group of patients that require surgical intervention for several indications, most notably, unstable fractures. There are various surgical options, each with its own advantage...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of children's orthopaedics Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 45 - 51
Main Authors: Swindells, Mark G., Rajan, R. A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.02.2010
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects:
Biomechanics
Closed reduction
Fractures
Infections
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Original Clinical
Original Clinical Article
Orthopedics
Pain
Patients
Pediatrics
Range of motion
Surgeons
Traumatic Surgery
United Kingdom > UK
Paediatric
Intramedullary nail
Fracture
Elastic
Tibia
ISSN:1863-2521, 1863-2548, 1863-2548
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Purpose The majority of paediatric tibial fractures can be managed conservatively. However, there is a small but significant group of patients that require surgical intervention for several indications, most notably, unstable fractures. There are various surgical options, each with its own advantages and risks. This review establishes the current available evidence for the use of elastic intramedullary nails in this group. Methods A systematic review of the currently available literature was performed. The relevant studies were then critically appraised. Results Seven applicable retrospective case series were identified, with the outcomes from a total of 210 (range 16–60) patients considered. The mean time to union ranged from 7 to 21 weeks. Reported complications included small numbers each of delayed union, non-union, malunion, leg length discrepancy and infection. Conclusions There is only a small body of evidence currently published on this topic. The evidence published so far concludes that elastic intramedullary nailing represents an effective and reliable method to treat an unstable fracture of the tibial diaphysis in the paediatric patient, where conservative management is not appropriate.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
content type line 14
ObjectType-Feature-3
ObjectType-Evidence Based Healthcare-1
ObjectType-Article-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1863-2521
1863-2548
1863-2548
DOI:10.1007/s11832-009-0223-4