Medial comminution as a risk factor for the stability after lateral-only pin fixation for pediatric supracondylar humerus fracture: an audit

[Research progress in the treatment of distal humeral metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction fracture in children]

Objective

To summarize the research progress in the treatment of distal humeral metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction (DHMDJ) fractures in children and to provide reference for clinical practice.

Methods

The characteristics and treatment methods of transverse and comminuted DHMDJ fractures in children were summarized and analyzed by referring to relevant literature at home and abroad.

Results

DHMDJ fractures in children are not uncommon clinically, with high fracture line position, multi-directional instability, difficult closed reduction in treatment, and easy to cause complications such as coronal and sagittal deformity of the elbow. The Kirschner wire technique was effective for DHMDJ fractures with the fracture line at the middle and low levels, but was prone to iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury. Elastic stable intramedullary nail is suitable for higher-position transverse DHMDJ fractures. However, this technique requires a second operation to remove the internal fixator, and may cause iatrogenic epiphysis plate injury in children. External fixator is a new way to treat DHMDJ fractures, and it can show satisfactory results for transverse and comminuted DHMDJ fractures. However, at present, there are few relevant studies, and most of them focus on biomechanical studies, and the efficacy lacks high-quality clinical research support.

Conclusion

The ultimate goal of DHMDJ fracture treatment in children is to restore the anatomical alignment of the fracture and prevent the loss of reduction. The choice of internal fixator depends on the location of the fracture line and the shape of the fracture to provide personalized treatment.

Is subclassification of Gartland extension-type pediatric supracondylar fracture into types IIA and IIB necessary for treatment decision? A result of pediatric orthopedist's survey and review of literature

Extension-type pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures are very common. The Gartland classification is typically used to guide treatment. However, there is still no consensus on what factors should be used to subclassify the type II fractures and whether subclassification is needed to guide treatment. Therefore, we aim to explore the opinions of pediatric orthopedists on the treatment method of the Gartland type II supracondylar fracture. Specifically, we ask what factors are considered for their treatment decisions and whether subclassification is needed to guide treatment. An online questionnaire was developed and sent to the Thai Paediatric Orthopedics Society and Asia-Pacific Paediatric Orthopaedic Society members. The results were analyzed to explore the relationship between respondents' demographic factors and treatment decisions. Out of 113 participants reached, 57 (50.4%) responded to the questionnaire. Factors chosen by respondents are stability testing intraoperatively (73.7%), the relationship of the anterior humeral line and capitellum (66.7%), the presence of rotation (50.9%), the presence of translation (47.4%), the presence of medial comminution 42.1%), soft tissue condition(38.6%), the shaft - condylar angle (31.6%), and the Bauman angle (21.1%). Thirty-three of 57 respondents (57.9%) deemed subclassification for Gartland type II necessary for guiding treatment. About half of respondents in our study deemed the current Gartland type II subclassification necessary to guide treatment, which may indicate that the subclassification might not be sufficiently comprehensive and reliable. Therefore, better criteria for a subclassification and a prospective evaluating study might be needed.

Prevalence and Treatment Outcome of Displaced High-Long Oblique Supracondylar Humeral Fractures in Children

Aim: The treatment protocol for supracondylar humeral fracture has mainly been based only on the severity of displacement and percutaneous pinning has been recommend as a first treatment. However, a long oblique fracture line is difficult to fix by the traditional cross pinning. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of high-long oblique supracondylar humeral (HLO) fracture and evaluate the surgical outcome of percutaneous pin fixation. Methods: We reviewed 690 children who had undergone an operation for the displaced supracondylar humeral fracture. HLO fracture was defined as having a fracture line starting from either cortex above the metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction and finishing at the opposite cortex around or below the olecranon fossa. Clinical and radiographic parameter outcomes were assessed. Results: There were 14 patients diagnosed with the HLO fracture (14/690) and all the patients were treated by pin fixation. The median age was 5 years 1 month (range, 2-11 years). The common mode of injury was direct contact injury to the elbow. There were 6 patients with lateral HLO fracture, and 8 patients had medial HLO type. In medial HLO type, medial pinning only was done in 3 patients due to the difficulty in lateral pin insertion. In addition, the lateral pin was not a bicortical fixation through capitellum entry in 2 patients who had it fixed by cross pinning. The final Baumann angle and lateral humero-capitellar angle were 20.5 (5-67.6) degrees and 49.3 (23.3-71.9) degrees, respectively, without statistical significance compared to the normal side. Flynn's cosmetic grade showed satisfactory results in all patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of HLO fractures was 2% in the displaced supracondylar humeral fracture. The mechanism of injury of HLO fractures may be direct contact injury. In medial HLO fractures, medial pinning is important for stability, and sometimes lateral pinning was impossible. Contrarily, lateral HLO fracture could easily be fixed by lateral-only pinning, but the correct lateral pinning is necessary because medial pinning is difficult. The HLO fracture is a difficult pattern to treat by traditional percutaneous pinning and another surgical option should be considered.

Pinning of supracondylar fractures in children - Strategies to avoid complications

In the pediatric population supracondylar humerus fracture (SHF) is one of the most common injuries. Diagnosis is based on inspection and conventional radiography. SHFs should be classified according to the modified Gartland classification, which guides treatment. Non-displaced or minimally displaced fractures (Gartland type-I) should be treated non-operatively, completely displaced type III fractures require closed reduction and K-wire fixation. In type-II fractures, important landmarks, such as the anterior humeral line (Roger´s line), the shaft-physeal angle (Baumann´s angle) and the shaft condylar angle should be considered to guide treatment. Special attention has to be paid for potential rotational dislocation, which is indicated by a ventral spur. In such cases surgery is necessary. The degree of acceptable extension malpositioning depends on patient´s age. In 10-year-old children fractures with a shaft condylar angle of more than 15° are still suitable for non-operative therapy. Timing for surgery is controversially discussed. Postponing surgery to the next day seems reasonable if absence of pain, intact soft tissue and normal neurovascular status are present. Neurovascular complications are not uncommon, especially in Gartland type-III fractures and in cases with additional forearm injuries. A white hand without palpable pulse needs emergency surgery, the management of the pulseless pink hand is still controversially discussed. Different operative techniques exist for surgical treatment. The golden standard is closed reduction and percutaneous K-wire pinning. Crossed pinning seems to achieve best biomechanical stability. Since ulnar nerve injuries are reported to occur in 6% after medially inserting K-wires, lateral divergent insertion of two K-wires has been compared to crossed pinning fixation in several randomized controlled trials. Meta-analyses demonstrated a higher risk for ulnar nerve injury for the crossed pinning technique while risk for loss of fixation was higher in lateral only pinning. In both cases, K-wires should be removed 3-6 weeks after surgery with consolidation of the fracture. Clinical and radiological follow-up should be carried out at 3 weeks post fracture fixation to rule out loss of reduction. If this should occur, early revision surgery has been demonstrated beneficial.