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Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume, Vol 88-B, Issue 4, 536-540.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.88B4.17363  
Copyright © 2006 by British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery
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Flexible intramedullary nails for unstable fractures of the tibia in children

AN EIGHT-YEAR EXPERIENCE

V. R. P. Vallamshetla, MRCS, Orthopaedic Registrar1; U. De Silva, MRCS, Registrar2; C. E. Bache, FRCS Orth, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon3; and P. J. Gibbons, FRCS Orth, Senior Staff Specialist4

1 University Hospitals of Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust, Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry CV1 4FH, UK.
2 22 Peach Ley Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 4ES, UK.
3 Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK.
4 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Children’s Hospital at West Mead, Sydney, New South Wales 2145, Australia.

Correspondence should be sent to Mr V. R. P. Vallamshetla; e-mail: vrpdr{at}yahoo.co.in

Flexible intramedullary nailing is gaining popularity as an effective method of treating long-bone fractures in children.

We retrospectively reviewed the records and radiographs of 56 unstable fractures of the tibia in 54 children treated between March 1997 and May 2005. All were followed up for at least two months after the removal of the nails.

Of the 56 tibial fractures, 13 were open. There were no nonunions. The mean time to clinical and radiological union was ten weeks. Complications included residual angulation of the tibia, leg-length discrepancy, deep infection and failures of fixation. All achieved an excellent functional outcome.

We conclude that flexible intramedullary fixation is an easy and effective method of management of both open and closed unstable fractures of the tibia in children.






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Registered charity no: 209299     Print ISSN: 0301-620X
Hip, Knee, Trauma, Upper limb, Foot & Ankle, Paediatrics, Oncology, Spine, Arthroplasty, General