Immediate hip spica is as effective as but more efficient than flexible intramedullary nailing for femoral shaft fractures in pre-school children

摘要

Flexible intramedullary nailing (FIN) is the gold standard treatment for femur fracture in school-aged children. It has been performed successfully in younger children, although Spica cast immobilisation (SCI) has been the most widely used strategy to date.MethodA retrospective analysis was performed between two comparable groups of children aged 1–4 years with a femoral shaft fracture. Two University hospitals, each using specific treatment guidelines, participated in the study: SCI in Group I (Basel, Switzerland) and FIN in Group II (Lausanne, Switzerland).