Treatment of pediatric femoral shaft fractures with elastic stable intramedullary nails versus external fixation: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

There is currently a debate about whether elastic stable intramedullary nails (ESIN) or external fixation (EF) is the best surgical method for treating pediatric femoral shaft fractures. We performed a meta-analysis to determine which surgical method leads to higher treatment satisfaction, lower complication rates, and reduced treatment time, to investigate whether ESIN is the preferred surgical method for treatment of pediatric femoral shaft fractures.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Relevant databases were searched for comparative studies of ESIN versus EF for the treating pediatric femoral shaft fractures. Literature reports and quality evaluations were extracted, followed by a systematic review using RevMan 5.3 software. Treatment satisfaction at the last follow-up, primary complications, secondary complications, and relevant time indicators (operation time, hospital stay, clinical healing time, bone healing time) were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 22 reports were included in this meta-analysis. We found no statistical differences in the treatment satisfaction at the last follow-up between ESIN and EF for the treatment of pediatric femoral shaft fractures. A low rate of postoperative re-fracture (RR=3.58, 95% CI (1.85, 6.92), p=0.0001) and postoperative infection (RR=9.25, 95% CI (5.32, 16.11), p<0.00001), and a high risk of skin irritation (RR=0.15, 95% CI (0.06, 0.37), p<0.00001) were found in the ESIN group. No significant differences between the two approaches were found regarding malunion. A low rate of limb-length discrepancy (RR=2.41, 95% CI (1.40, 4.17), p=0.002), hospitalization (SMD=0.84, 95% CI (0.24, 1.43), p=0.006), clinical healing time (SMD=0.95, 95% CI (0.56, 1.33), p<0.00001) and bone healing time (SMD=0.89, 95% CI (0.39, 1.40), p=0.005) were found in the ESIN group, as compared to that in the EF group. No significant differences were found in fixation failure, activity limitation of the joint, and operation time between the two strategies.

DISCUSSION

ESIN should be the primary choice for the treatment of pediatric femoral shaft fractures since it has a reliable curative effect and results in a shorter hospital stay, faster fracture healing, and fewer complications. EF is recommended for fractures with serious injury of the soft tissue to avoid intramedullary infection. Double-blind high-quality randomized studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm our conclusions.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV.

A meta-analysis of flexible intramedullary nailing versus external fixation for pediatric femoral shaft fractures

To compare the difference in efficacy following flexible intramedullary nailing (FIN) and external fixation (EF) for pediatric femoral shaft fractures. A systematic search was performed on PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane library for relevant studies. We included controlled trials comparing complications between FIN and EF for pediatric femoral shaft fractures published before 25 November 2014. Modified Jadad scores were utilized to assess the methodological quality of the studies included. The meta-analysis was carried out using Stata 12.0 software. Six studies involving 237 patients were included. On comparison of EF, a low incidence of overall complications [relative risk (RR)=0.30, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.19-0.46; P<0.001] and pin-tract infection (RR=0.286, 95% CI: 0.13-0.61; P=0.001), but a high risk of soft tissue irritation (RR=1.86, 95% CI: 1.35-2.56; P<0.001) were found in patients treated with the FIN approach. No significant differences in other complications were found. On the basis of current evidence, the use of FIN leads to fewer complications than EF and may be considered as the first-line approach in the treatment of femoral shaft fractures.