Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2003;27(3):145-8.
doi: 10.1007/s00264-003-0443-z. Epub 2003 Mar 26.

Traction spica cast for femoral-shaft fractures in children

Ranulfo V Gracilla  1 , Hilario M Diaz, Noel R Penaranda, Jose M Pagsisilgan, David A Spiegel, Dante Quirapas, Espiridion R Reyes
Affiliations

Traction spica cast for femoral-shaft fractures in children

Ranulfo V Gracilla et al. Int Orthop. 2003.

Abstract
in English, French

We treated 20 children for an isolated femoral shaft fracture using distal tibial traction incorporated into a spica cast with the knee in full extension. Patients were discharged from the hospital at a mean of 5.1 days following injury. All fractures healed, and there were four minor complications. At a mean follow-up of 35 (13-72) months, all patients were asymptomatic with normal function. All but one fracture healed in acceptable alignment, and there was no clinically significant leg-length discrepancy. The method is relatively simple to employ and may be advantageous in a setting of limited resources.

Nous avons traité 20 enfants pour une fracture de la diaphyse fémorale isolée avec une traction tibiale distale incorporée dans le spica avec le genou en extension complète. Les malades ont quitté l'hôpital en moyenne 5.1 jours après le traumatisme. Toutes les fractures ont consolidé, et il y avait 4 complications mineures. À une moyenne de suivi de 35 (13–72) mois tous les malades étaient assymptomatiques avec une fonction normale. Toutes les fractures sauf une ont guéri avec un alignement acceptable, et il n'y avait aucune différence de longueur cliniquement. La méthode est relativement simple à emploi, et peut être avantageuse dans un cadre de ressources limitées.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The traction brace
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Patient in traction spica cast
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aronson DD, Singer RM, Higgins RF (1987) Skeletal traction for fractures of the femoral shaft in children. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 69:1435–1439 - PubMed
    1. Bjerkheim Acta Orthop Scand. 1975;46:1012. - PubMed
    1. Blasier J Pediatr Orthop. 1997;17:342. doi: 10.1097/00004694-199705000-00014. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Celiker J Pediatr Orthop. 1988;8:580. - PubMed
    1. Cramer Clin Orthop. 2000;376:119. - PubMed

MeSH terms