• Yuxi Su, Yan Xie, Jiaqiang Qin, Zhongliang Wang, Wenquan Cai, and Guoxin Nan.
• *Department II of Orthopaedics, Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Laboratory, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University †Lab Medicine of Maternity and Child Care Hospital of Yubei District, Lab Medicine of the first affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
• J Pediatr Orthop. 2016 Dec 1; 36 (8): 797-802.

BackgroundThe treatment of radial neck fractures with complete displacement or severe displacement and an angle of >30 degrees is controversial. The currently used methods, including the Metaizeau technique, are associated with drawbacks such as imperfect reduction, epiphyseal damage, and delayed functional recovery. To overcome these drawbacks, we used absorbable rod fixation followed by early functional training for the treatment of displaced radial neck fractures in children.MethodsIn this study, 68 patients (age, 4 to 12 y; average, 8.4 y; average angle, 58 degrees; average displacement, 53%) with radial neck fractures with Salter-Harris grades II to IV underwent lateral elbow open reduction and absorbable rod fixation. At 3 weeks postoperatively, the patients' plaster casts were removed, and functional training was started.ResultsAnatomic reduction was achieved in all patients. We followed-up 68 patients for 6 months to 4 years (average, 41 mo). No cases of radial nerve injury, radial bone necrosis, myositis ossificans, and postoperative infection were observed. The functional recovery was "excellent" in 43 patients, "good" in 13 patients, "average" in 12 patients, and "bad" in 0 patients, according to the Morrey evaluation standard.ConclusionOpen reduction with absorbable rod fixation for the treatment of displaced radial neck fractures in children was feasible and was a choice in children.Level Of EvidenceTherapeutic II.

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