Journal of pediatric orthopedics
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The authors reviewed nine children with 10 displaced supracondylar femoral fractures that were treated by closed reduction and percutaneous pinning. The average age of the patients was 8.3 years (range 5-13). After removal of the pins and plaster at 5 weeks, full range of movement was regained within 3 weeks. ⋯ Intra-articular pin placement was avoided, considering the different synovial attachments on the medial and lateral sides. One patient developed a common peroneal nerve palsy, and therefore a cadaver study was performed to determine whether movement of the knee after pin placement affected the nerve. Although the lateral pin did tether the iliotibial band, the common peroneal nerve was not affected.
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The management of unstable pediatric pelvic and acetabular fractures continues to be controversial. Recent reports have suggested that closed management of unstable pelvic and acetabular fractures can result in significant long-term morbidity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of operative stabilization of unstable pelvic and acetabular fractures in children and adolescents. ⋯ No patients suffered wound complications, infection, or growth arrest at an average follow-up of 30 months. These results support operative fixation of unstable pediatric pelvic and acetabular fractures to restore pelvic symmetry and periarticular anatomy. Favorable clinical results can be achieved with a low incidence of complications.
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Pediatric trauma remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality of children in the United States and entails exorbitant costs. A 1997 national pediatric inpatient database, the Kids' Inpatient Database, was reviewed for current trauma and practice patterns and was found to contain over 84,000 patients admitted for orthopaedic trauma. These patients accrued an estimated 932.8 million dollars in hospital charges. ⋯ Practice patterns varied for certain subgroups (eg, femoral shaft fractures) of patients, depending on the type of hospital where the child was treated. Children who sustained a femoral shaft fracture in the 6-to-10-year age group were significantly more likely to receive internal fixation versus casting or traction if they were treated at a children's hospital. Understanding the patterns in which traumatic injuries occur in children is paramount to establishing effective injury prevention, as well as adapting treatment to optimize outcomes.
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A retrospective review was performed of 46 consecutive ambulatory children with cerebral palsy and tibial torsion who underwent 72 distal tibial derotational osteotomies without concomitant fibular osteotomy. The average amount of derotation measured at surgery was 21 +/- 5 degrees. The average change in thigh-foot angle at follow-up was 21 +/- 9 degrees. ⋯ Preoperative and postoperative three-dimensional gait analysis data were used to determine the effect of distal tibial osteotomy on foot progression angle in seven subjects (11 limbs). Foot progression improved significantly. This study shows that distal tibial osteotomy alone (without concomitant fibular osteotomy) is an effective and safe procedure for correcting and maintaining correction of tibial torsion in patients with cerebral palsy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effects of preemptive analgesia using continuous subcutaneous morphine for postoperative pain in scoliosis surgery: a randomized study.
The authors evaluated prospectively the efficacy and safety of continuous subcutaneous morphine administration for postoperative analgesia after posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation for idiopathic scoliosis. Thirty patients were given the subcutaneous morphine infusion (20 mg/day), and 20 patients were not given morphine (control group). Postoperative pain control was assessed using a verbal response score (VRS) and a visual analog pain scale (VAS). ⋯ Also, analgesic consumption in the continuous subcutaneous morphine group was lower than that of the control group. There was no respiratory depression or constipation. Preemptive analgesia using continuous subcutaneous infusion of morphine is a simple, safe, and effective method to control postoperative pain after posterior instrumentation and spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis.