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Outcomes of Surgical Management of Late Presenting Intra-Articular Distal Femoral Physeal Fracture: A Multicentric
Jaswinder Singh1, Hitesh Shah2, K Venkatadass3
1Department of Orthopaedics, Paras HMRI Hospital, Raza Bazaar, Patna, 800014 Bihar India.
Introduction:
Distal femur physeal fractures in children, particularly Hoffa fractures, are rare and prone to complications. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of surgical intervention in children presenting with delayed intraarticular distal femur physeal fractures.
Materials And Methods:
A multicentric retrospective study involving six pediatric patients with delayed presentation of distal femur physeal fractures was conducted. Five patients underwent surgical intervention involving osteotomy and anatomical refixation of the malunited fragments. One patient opted for conservative management. The age at presentation, time since injury, surgical procedures, and clinical and radiological outcomes were evaluated at the final follow-up. Fixation with lag screws was sufficient in three patients, while two required additional plate stabilization.
Results:
The mean age of patients was 12.2 years, comprising four boys and two girls. The average delay in presentation was 30.8 months (ranging from 3 months to 8 years). For the surgical group (n = 5), the knee range of motion improved from an average of 16-66 degrees preoperatively to 6-128 degrees postoperatively at a mean follow-up of 60 months. The mean limb shortening was 3 cm (range 0.5-5 cm). Two patients required additional procedures for distal femur varus malalignment. The conservatively managed patient showed no improvement in knee movements at the 12 month follow-up, serving as a control.
Conclusions:
Surgical intervention involving osteotomy and anatomical reduction for malunited intraarticular Salter-Harris type III and IV fractures of the distal femur in children yields good to excellent outcomes. Limb length discrepancy and malalignment, if present, can be addressed separately. Longer follow-up until skeletal maturity is necessary to evaluate final outcomes in these patients.
Level Of Evidence:
Level IV (Case series). Therapeutic.
Supplementary Information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-024-01324-y.
