Supracondylar osteotomy of the paediatric femur using the locking compression plate: a refined surgical technique

Locking compression plates (LCP) have been developed for paediatric patients, and these provide safe bone fixation and allow for immediate weight-bearing. These plates are becoming increasingly popular and are proving to especially useful for the treatment of proximal and distal (supracondylar) femoral osteotomies. They are thought to provide better grip in osteoporotic bone. The technique has been described in the provider's manual as well as recently by Joeris et al. (Int Orthop 2012: 36:2299-2306). The LCP system offers optimal stability after the final fixation, but temporary fixation using the originally described method is unstable, and we consider the medialisation instrument unsatisfactory as it has very small contact area with the lateral aspect of the femur and does not provide sound rotational control. For this reason we have developed a technique whereby temporary, stable fixation using fine K-wires can be attained for the proximal, diaphyseal fragment, following sound fixation with locking screws of the distal fragment. This procedure allows for full clinical (including rotation) and radiographic assessment intraoperatively, as well as fine adjustment in all three planes. This modification enables optimal correction before the final fixation and avoids unnecessary, large drill holes which may otherwise act as dangerous tress risers, endangering stability and weight-bearing. Here we describe a refined technique of the supracondylar femoral osteotomy using the paediatric LCP Condylar Plate.