Aneuploidy and adverse pregnancy outcomes occur more commonly in prenatally diagnosed cases of complex clubfoot than in those of isolated clubfoot. Fetal karyotyping is required in cases of complex clubfoot, but the need for that procedure in isolated clubfoot remains controversial.

Dissolution of the trochlea is seldom described as a complication of fractures of the distal end of the humerus in children. We report 6 cases of fishtail deformity after displaced supracondylar fractures of the humerus in children. The age at time of fracture was from 4 years 6 months to 6 years 11 months. The fractures were treated by closed reduction and pin fixation in good position. Diagnosis of fishtail deformity was made between 7 months and 4.5 years postinjury. Five patients complained of pain, cracking, and stiffness. The 6 cases reported here support anatomical studies and previous literature that proposed a vascular etiology of fishtail deformity (osteonecrosis of the lateral ossification center of the trochlea).

The annual incidence of ACL tears is increasing steadily in pediatric patients. Chronic anterior instability causes meniscal lesions at a frequency that increases significantly with the injury-to-surgery interval. Conservative therapy, simple suturing, and isolated extra-articular tendon reconstruction are associated with high failure rates. Intra-articular arthroscopy-assisted tendon reconstruction is a good treatment method, although several different techniques have been described. We used a transphyseal technique with a hamstring tendon graft to treat 14 knees in 13 patients with a mean age of 13 years and 7 months. Mean injury-to-surgery interval was 6 months. Strict compliance with technical rules is required when using this technique. Bone tunnel diameter must not exceed 8 mm. Bone tunnels must be as vertical and central as possible. The fixation material must not bridge the physis (at the femur, cortical fixation; and at the tibia, fixation using a resorbable screw no longer than 25 mm combined with a staple). Meniscal lesions were present in half the knees and meniscal preservation considered mandatory. Conservative treatment of concomitant lesions was performed routinely. After a mean follow-up of 15 months, no recurrent tears or revision procedures for meniscectomy had been recorded. The IKDC grade was A or B in 93% of knees. The mean subjective IKDC score was 83.3 and the Lysholm score was in the excellent or good range in 93% of knees. Of the 14 knees, 2 exhibited signs suggesting femoral epiphysiodesis, with 4° of valgus deformity compared to the contra-lateral knee and no clinical consequences. Transphyseal reconstruction with open physes conducted in strict compliance with technical rules can be performed to control the instability and preserve the menisci. Nevertheless, this technique carries a risk of epiphysiodesis, chiefly at the femur.

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