COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TREATMENTS FOR FOREARM FRACTURES IN CHILDREN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

To compare the clinical outcomes of children with forearm bone fractures undergoing surgical treatment with intramedullary fixation with TEN rods and Kirschner wires. A systematic review of the literature was carried out, conducting a search for data in the Pubmed/Medline, Science Direct and Scielo databases. The quality of the trials was assessed by the MINORS tool and the meta-analysis of the studies was performed using the R software (version 4.4.0). 16 studies were selected, representing 1,075 patients, with a predominance of males, where the mean age range varied from 8.32 to 14.2 years. Applying the MINORS Scale, the quality of the studies was good (≥ 11). The meta-analysis of the studies revealed a statistically significant increase in the risk of adverse events in the experimental group compared to the control group, with a risk ratio (RR) of 1.35 (95% CI: 1.03 to 1.76). The combined mean difference (raw mean) between the experimental group and the control group was -12.42 minutes (95% CI: -13.75 to -11.10) in the fixed-effect model, indicating a significant reduction in surgical time for the experimental group. In the random-effect model, the mean difference was -21.62 minutes (95% CI: -33.30 to -9.94). Regarding fracture consolidation time, the fixed-effect model indicated a raw mean difference of 0.99 (95% CI: 0.61 to 1.36). Furthermore, heterogeneity was moderate to high, with an I² of 73% (p < 0.01). Intramedullary fixation with TEN nails and Kirschner wires presents a diversity of clinical outcomes and complications. The systematic review highlighted the importance of choosing the appropriate treatment method, considering the patient characteristics and the nature of the fracture. Level of Evidence II; Systematic Review .