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Lateral entry femoral nail leads to quicker recovery for older, heavier pediatric patients
According to the results of this study, older, heavier pediatric patients with femur fractures can recover in less time if treated with adolescent lateral entry femoral nails rather than elastic stable intramedullary nails.
The authors performed a retrospective review of 22 patients aged 10 years to 17 years with traumatic diaphyseal femur fractures who underwent surgical fixation during a 2.5-year study period. Seven patients received elastic stable intramedullary nails (ESINs) without end-caps and 15 patients received a more rigid intramedullary nail specifically designed for adolescents — an adolescent lateral entry femoral nail (ALFN).
The authors found that patients who received ALFNs were able to advance to full weight-bearing in significantly less time than patients in the ESIN group (4.1 weeks vs. to 9.4 weeks). The study also revealed no statistical differences between the groups in terms of major or minor complications
“Older, heavier pediatric patients treated for femur fracture with ALFNs had a shorter recovery time than similar patients treated with ESINs,” the authors wrote. “However, the outcomes for both groups were satisfactory.”
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Reynolds RAK. J Child Orthop. 2012. doi: 10.1007/s11832-012-0404-4.