The Functional Outcomes of Flexible Intramedullary Nails in the Management of Femoral Diaphyseal Fracture in Children

Functional Outcomes of Flexible Intramedullary Nailing in Pediatric Femoral Fractures

Abstract

About 20-25 children per 100,000 experience femoral shaft fractures annually. Intervention varied by age, type of fracture, and resources. Flexible intramedullary nailing (FIN) is a popular minimally invasive treatment of choice, allowing early mobility with the least complications. Objectives: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of using FIN for pediatric diaphyseal femur bone fracture treatment. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore, from February 2021 to August 2021, including 145 pediatric patients aged 5-12 years with closed femoral diaphyseal fractures treated with flexible intramedullary nailing (FIN). Patients with multiple fractures or metabolic bone diseases were excluded. Clinical assessments were carried out at the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th postoperative weeks. Functional outcomes were examined using Flynn’s criteria, and data were analyzed via SPSS version 22. Results: Out of the total 145 patients, 101 (69.4%) were male, while 44(30.6%) were female. The mean age of the children was 8.32 ± 2.23 years. The time between injury and surgery was 4.27 ± 3.80 days in this study According to Flynn's criteria, 133 (91.9%) of the patients had excellent outcomes (95% CI: 86.8% to 95.7%), while 12 (8.1%) had satisfactory outcomes at 12 weeks No statistically significant associations were found between functional outcomes and demographic variables such as gender (p=1.000), age group (p=0.360), weight group (p=0.323), or fracture duration (p=0.280). Conclusions: FIN is a safe and effective treatment for pediatric femoral shaft fractures, which can help patients gain early functional recovery and reduce the risk of complications. It should be applied where necessary in clinical practice.