Biomaterial Database

External fixation of femur fractures in children. 1992

J Aronson, and E A Tursky

Department of Orthopaedics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.

Forty-two children (44 femur fractures) were treated by primary external fixation and early weightbearing (1984-1989). The fractures were reduced anatomically when possible. Average age at fracture was 9 years 7 months (range, 2 years 5 months to 17 years 8 months). Duration of external fixation averaged 70 days (range 42-117 days). Of 176 pins, 15 (8.5%) were inflamed and five (2.8%) required intravenous antibiotics; none resulted in osteomyelitis. Most patients returned to school by 4 weeks, and all had full knee motion 6 weeks after fixator removal. Of 16 patients with documented follow-up of at least 18 months, only six (38%) had overgrowth from 2 to 10 mm (average 5.8 mm).

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011183	Postoperative Complications	Pathologic processes that affect patients after a surgical procedure. They may or may not be related to the disease for which the surgery was done, and they may or may not be direct results of the surgery.	Complication, Postoperative,Complications, Postoperative,Postoperative Complication
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D005264	Femoral Fractures	Fractures of the femur.	Femoral Fracture,Fracture, Femoral,Fractures, Femoral
D005592	Fracture Fixation	The use of metallic devices inserted into or through bone to hold a fracture in a set position and alignment while it heals.	Skeletal Fixation,Fracture Reduction,Fixation, Fracture,Fixation, Skeletal,Fixations, Fracture,Fixations, Skeletal,Fracture Fixations,Fracture Reductions,Reduction, Fracture,Reductions, Fracture,Skeletal Fixations
D005596	Fractures, Closed	Fractures in which the break in bone is not accompanied by an external wound.	Fractures, Occult,Closed Fracture,Closed Fractures,Fracture, Closed,Fracture, Occult,Occult Fracture,Occult Fractures
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D012189	Retrospective Studies	Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons.	Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective