Hexapodal external fixation in the management of children tibial fractures

Some tibial fractures in children require surgical osteosynthesis, mostly achieved by an internal fixation. Indications for external fixation in the management of tibial fractures in children are limited to specific clinical situations when conventional treatments are contraindicated. The aim of this study is to report the results of tibial fractures management by hexapodal external fixation. Eleven children were included in this study and all of them were treated by a specific hexapodal external fixator, with a 12-month mean follow-up. In the whole series, initial deformities were perfectly corrected in nine cases, two patients showed residual deformity that did not require further surgery. The mean time for external fixation was 98 days. Hexapodal external fixation seems to be a simple and effective definitive method for the correction of three-dimensional traumatic deformities requiring surgical stabilization. Long-term follow-up will be necessary to evaluate residual deformities at the end of patient's growth. J Pediatr Orthop B 19:487-491 (C) 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.