Paediatric forearm fractures: the increasing use of elastic stable intra-medullary nails

This paper entails a clinical review of outcomes and complications of 19 consecutive paediatric patients having undergone elastic stable intramedullary nailing for diaphyseal forearm fractures over a one year period. The mean age of patients was 9 years. The majority were male with a ratio of 17:2. In this group there were two patients with grade 1 open fractures. Four of the fractures required open reduction due to difficulty in reduction and soft tissue interposition. All fractures went on to osseous union with minimal deformity and full recovery. There were three complications which included one EPL rupture requiring delayed repair, one EPB partial rupture repaired at time of surgery, and one superficial radial nerve injury. Two patients also presented with nails penetrating the skin prior to removal. Elastic stable intramedullary nails offer good fixation to control deformity in midshaft forearm fractures for paediatric patients. However there is a high rate of possible complications around the radial insertion point.