-
- P P Schmittenbecher.
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Municipal Hospital, Moltkestraße 90, 76133, Karlsruhe, Germany. peter.schmittenbecher@klinikum-karlsruhe.de.
- Eur J Trauma Emerg S. 2013 Aug 1;39(4):345-52.
PurposeImplant removal in children is still a standard procedure. Implants may disturb function, and some theoretical long-term risks like growth disturbance, foreign body reaction, chronic infection and corrosion are used as arguments for removal. Implant migration or interference with any other orthopaedic treatment over the later course of life is also a matter of debate. On the other hand, the difficulty in removing single implants as well as possible perioperative complications has induced discussion about the retention of implants in childhood.MethodsThe current procedures are exposed and the available literature on implant removal in children reviewed.ResultsActually, a clear recommendation does not exist. The current line of action still includes routine removal, as it is preferred by some authors, whereas others argue for a selective procedure. K-wires as well as intramedullary nails are usually removed because the ends may interfere with the surrounding tissue. Screws and plates can be retained if there are no local problems. The removal of external fixators is non-controversial.ConclusionsBenefits have to outweigh the risks and complications in the individual case and the procedure should not require a more extensive procedure than insertion. It has to be an individual decision in view of the lack of evidence to support routine removal as well as to refute it.
Notes
Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?You can also include formatting, links, images and footnotes in your notes
- Simple formatting can be added to notes, such as
*italics*
,_underline_
or**bold**
. - Superscript can be denoted by
<sup>text</sup>
and subscript<sub>text</sub>
. - Numbered or bulleted lists can be created using either numbered lines
1. 2. 3.
, hyphens-
or asterisks*
. - Links can be included with:
[my link to pubmed](http://pubmed.com)
- Images can be included with:
![alt text](https://bestmedicaljournal.com/study_graph.jpg "Image Title Text")
- For footnotes use
[^1](This is a footnote.)
inline. - Or use an inline reference
[^1]
to refer to a longer footnote elseweher in the document[^1]: This is a long footnote.
.