Femur fractures in children: treatment with early sitting spica casting

The purpose of this article is to review our experience with early spica casting and determine risk factors for loss of reduction and skin complications. The radiographic and clinical charts of 114 children were retrospectively reviewed. At the time of fracture union, excessive shortening and angular malunion were not significant problems. Loss of reduction and skin complications occurred in 20 and 14% of patients, respectively. In addition to previously described risk factors, we identified spica knee flexion angle < 50 degrees as predictive of eventual loss of reduction and found that > 2 cm of initial shortening was not a contraindication to early spica casting. Factors associated with skin problems included younger age and abuse as a mechanism of injury. In our opinion, early spica casting is the treatment of choice for all isolated, closed femur fractures in otherwise healthy children aged 6 years or younger, regardless of the degree of initial deformity.