Paediatric forearm refractures with retained plates managed with flexible intramedullary nails

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Pediatric Orthopedics
• Traumatology

Background:

• Forearm refractures in children can occur after initial fracture treatment.
• Retained fixation plates are a known risk factor for refracture.
• Existing literature primarily discusses refractures after closed treatment or plate removal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel treatment approach for pediatric forearm refractures associated with retained plates.
• To present a case series of four patients managed with this new technique.
• To highlight an alternative to revision plating for this complication.

Main Methods:

• Four pediatric patients with forearm refractures and retained plates were identified.
• Surgical intervention involved removal of the retained plate.
• Intramedullary stabilization was achieved using elastic stable intramedullary nails (Nancy, Depuy, UK).

Main Results:

• All four patients were successfully treated with plate removal and intramedullary nailing.
• This method provided an alternative to traditional revision plating.
• No previous descriptions of this specific treatment approach were found in the literature.

Conclusions:

• Elastic stable intramedullary nailing is a viable treatment for pediatric forearm refractures with retained plates.
• This technique offers a potentially less invasive option compared to revision plating.
• Further research is warranted to evaluate the long-term outcomes of this management strategy.