Elastic nailing of tibia shaft fractures in young children up to 10 years of age

Introduction Although tibia shaft fractures in children usually have satisfactory results after closed reduction and casting, there are several surgical indications, including associated fractures and soft tissue injuries such as open fractures. Titanium elastic nails (TENs) are often used for pediatric tibia fractures, and have the advantage of preserving the open physis. However, complications such as delayed union or nonunion are not uncommon in older children or open fractures. In the present study, we evaluated children up to 10 years of age with closed or open tibial shaft fractures treated with elastic nailing technique. Methods A total of 16 tibia shaft fractures treated by elastic nailing from 2001 to 2013 were reviewed. The mean patient age at operation was 7 years (range: 5-10 years). Thirteen of 16 cases were open fractures (grade I: 4, grade II: 6, grade IIIA: 3 cases); the other cases had associated fractures that necessitated operative treatments. Closed, antegrade intramedullary nailing was used to insert two nails through the proximal tibial metaphysis. All patients were followed up for at least one year after the injury. Outcomes were evaluated using modified Flynn's criteria, including union, alignment, leg length discrepancies, and complications. Results All fractures achieved union a mean of 16.1 weeks after surgery (range: 11-26 weeks). No patient reported knee pain or experienced any loss of knee or ankle motion. There was a case of superficial infection in a patient with grade III open fracture. Three patients reported soft tissue discomfort due to prominent TEN tips at the proximal insertion site, which required cutting the tip before union or removing the nail after union. At the last follow-up, there were no angular or rotational deformities over 10° in either the sagittal or coronal planes. With the exception of one case with an overgrowth of 15 mm, no patient showed shortening or overgrowth exceeding 10 mm. Among final outcomes, 15 were excellent and 1 was satisfactory. Summary Even with open fractures or soft tissue injuries, elastic nailing can achieve satisfactory results in young children, with minimal complications of delayed bone healing, or infection.