Indications and results of osteosynthesis by plate fixation of femoral shaft fractures in children.

UNLABELLED: In a group of 316 children with 318 femoral shaft fractures, 28 had been treated operatively (8.8%). Twenty children treated with plate-osteosynthesis came for follow-up. The indications for operation were polytrauma (6 X), unacceptable position after conservative treatment (6 X), severe head injury (3 X), serial fractures of the same limb (3 X) and open fractures (2 X). The average follow-up after trauma was four years and six months. Direct postoperative complications were a transient peroneal nerve palsy and a broken plate. In 17 children the difference in leg length was less than or equal to 1 cm. One boy with serial fractures of the same limb had an overgrowth of 3.3 cm and problems during walking. CONCLUSION: plate-osteosynthesis was a good method of treatment in this study on 20 children with femoral fractures and accompanying complicating conditions.