• ABSTRACT
    • Femoral fractures are frequent in the pediatric population. Treatment options are based on the patient's age, fracture pattern, type of trauma and associated soft tissue injury. The traditional treatment method for pediatric femoral shaft fracture has been traction and spica casting. The immediate spica cast is safe and effective for children up to 6 years of age with isolated femoral fracture and acceptable reduction. Patients between 6 and 10 years of age can also be treated with spica casting with or without traction. This prospective study was done in the department of Orthopaedics, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh form from July 2015 to June 2019 to evaluate the outcome of closed reduction and internal fixation by titanium elastic nailing for fracture shaft of femur. Twenty patients, all presenting with fresh diaphyseal fractures of femur, treated with closed reduction and internal fixation by titanium elastic nailing. These patients were prospectively evaluated over a period of at least 18 months. Fractures were classified according to Association of Orthopaedics (AO) classification of shaft of femur fractures. According to AO classification, all were A1, A2, A3 fractures. Average age of the patients was 11±2.7 years; range was 6 to 16 years. There were 15 males and 5 females. Out of 20 cases treated with this method, stable fixation and union was achieved in all of them. Radiological union was achieved at an average of 10±2.3 weeks (8-15 weeks). The results were excellent in twelve patients (60%), successful in five (25%) and poor in three patients (15%) as per the scoring criteria for TEN. The effective treatment of diaphyseal fractures of the femur is intramedullary fixation by titanium elastic nailing in patients of the 6-16 years age group.