No abstract

No abstract

Background: Objective of the study was to find out the advantages of traction and single-leg spica cast in treatment of isolated femoral shaft fracture in children. Study design was Descriptive and place of the study was Darbhanga Medical College and hospital, Laheriasarai, Darbhanga, Bihar, India.Methods: 24 patients, age below 10 years, with a mean age of 5.37 years range with closed isolated femoral shaft fractures were included in the Study. Patients having compound fractures and those with associated injuries were excluded from the study. Spica cast was applied under sedation after preliminary skin traction, however immediate spica was given in children less than 2 year and those who had less than 2 cm shortening on telescopy. Follow up was done in OPD after 1,4,8,12,24 weeks with check x-rays taken at every visit.Results: 24 children were included in the study, with a mean age of 5.37 years range (2 months to 10 years). Average duration of skin traction was 14.8 days range (0-21) days. Average duration of hospital stay was 16 days range (2-22) days. Average time for fracture union was 7.4 weeks range (4-12) weeks. At final follow-up, 2 patient had Limb -Length Discrepancy (LLD) of 1.5 cm, 2 had LLD of 1 cm, 4 had LLD of 0.5cm, while 18 children had no LLD. None of the patients had short legged gait. None of the patients needed cast removal for any cast related complication.Conclusions: Traction followed by spica cast is a safe and effective method for closed fracture shaft of femur with very low risk of complication and can be done in children in less than 10 years of age.

Purpose: To evaluate intraoperative variables and postoperative outcomes of intertrochanteric fractures with vulnerable/broken lateral walls managed with short and long cephalomedullary nails. Materials & Methodology: Twenty prospective cases of patients treated with LCMN and twenty retrospective cases treated with SCMN were included in the study. Intraoperative variables compared were duration of surgery, blood loss during surgery, and surgeon's perception of surgery. Functional outcome was evaluated by Parker Palmer mobility score (PPMS), Harris hip score (HHS), and Short Form-12 at one year. Radiological assessment were done at six months/one year to look for progress of fracture union, change in neck-shaft angle, and any signs of implant failure. Results: Duration of surgery (p<0.001), blood loss during surgery (p=0.002), and surgeon's perception of surgery (p=0.002) were signicantly more in the LCMN group. The LCMN group had a better functional outcome. HHS for the LCMN group was 89.15±9.53, and for the SCMN group it was 81.53±13.21 (p=0.021). PPMS for LCMN group was 8.85± 0.67 and for the SCMN group was 7.53±1.807 (p=0.005). There were four implant failures in the LCMN group compared to none in the SCMN group (p=0.036). Conclusion: Both SCMN and LCMN are effective treatment modalities for unstable intertrochanteric fractures with vulnerable/broken lateral walls. In the absence of more extensive study and long-term follow-up, the superiority of one implant over the other cannot be recommended.