We compared the outcome of patients treated for an intertrochanteric fracture of the femoral neck with a locked, long intramedullary nail with those treated with a dynamic hip screw (DHS) in a prospective randomised study. Each patient who presented with an extra-capsular hip fracture was randomised to operative stabilisation with either a long intramedullary Holland nail or a DHS. We treated 92 patients with a Holland nail and 98 with a DHS. Pre-operative variables included the Mini Mental test score, patient mobility, fracture pattern and American Society of Anesthesiologists grading. Peri-operative variables were anaesthetic time, operating time, radiation time and blood loss. Post-operative variables were time to mobilising with a frame, wound infection, time to discharge, time to fracture union, and mortality. We found no significant difference in the pre-operative variables. The mean anaesthetic and operation times were shorter in the DHS group than in the Holland nail group (29.7 vs 40.4 minutes, p < 0.001; and 40.3 vs 54 minutes, p < 0.001, respectively). There was an increased mean blood loss within the DHS group versus the Holland nail group (160 ml vs 78 ml, respectively, p < 0.001). The mean time to mobilisation with a frame was shorter in the Holland nail group (DHS 4.3 days, Holland nail 3.6 days, p = 0.012). More patients needed a post-operative blood transfusion in the DHS group (23 vs seven, p = 0.003) and the mean radiation time was shorter in this group (DHS 0.9 minutes vs Holland nail 1.56 minutes, p < 0.001). The screw of the DHS cut out in two patients, one of whom underwent revision to a Holland nail. There were no revisions in the Holland nail group. All fractures in both groups were united when followed up after one year. We conclude that the DHS can be implanted more quickly and with less exposure to radiation than the Holland nail. However, the resultant blood loss and need for transfusion is greater. The Holland nail allows patients to mobilise faster and to a greater extent. We have therefore adopted the Holland nail as our preferred method of treating intertrochanteric fractures of the hip.

Fractures of the radial neck account for 5-10% of traumatic lesions of the elbow in the child. Conservative method of reduction may fail to reduce severely displaced fractures. Open reduction of severely displaced radial neck fractures is associated with a high incidence of complications. The present study describes the results achieved after closed and indirect reduction of the severely displaced radial head using a 2-mm K-wire passed intramedullary from near the radial styloid. The bent tip of the K-wire was used to manipulate the displaced head back to the shaft without opening the fracture site. The indirect reduction of the radial head using bent intramedullary K-wire is a simple, minimally invasive method, easy to perform, and obtains encouraging results with few complications. Intramedullary pin also achieves fixation of the radial head after reduction and prevents its secondary displacement

Talar body injuries are rare, particularly in children. To our knowledge, there has not been a single case report of bilateral talus fracture in a child till date. We report two cases of fracture bilateral talus in children. The first case is of a fracture separation of the distal tibial epiphysis and a fracture of the body of the talus with subluxation of ankle on right side and a fracture neck of talus on left side. The second is fracture bilateral talus with epiphyseal injury of left distal tibia. A minimal or undisplaced fracture of talus is less likely to undergo avascular necrosis than a displaced fracture but even with optimal treatment, avascular necrosis may still occur. It is of prime significance that these fractures should be diagnosed well in time to avert complications. Therefore an appropriate length of follow-up is required.

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Introduction:Traumatic injuries of to hand are not uncommon in the pediatric population and most of them are managed by conservative means and rarely surgical intervention required. There is a very rare incidence of delayed union or non-union in these fractures and found a very few numbers of sporadic cases documented in English literature. Case Report:We described delayed presentation of post-traumatic gap non-union of proximal phalanx of thumb in a child who presented with severe disability of hand especially writing and grasping. He was managed as open reduction, tibial strut bone grafting, and internal fixation with crossed Kirchner wire and followed for a period of minimum of 2 years. The fracture united radiologically and healed well clinically, whereas functional outcomes were excellent. There was no difficulty in writing and activity of daily living with operated hand while having comparative cosmetic appearance to other hand. Conclusion:Non-union of phalanx fractures are very rare in the pediatric population whereas excellent clinical and functional outcomes can be achieved with adequate stable fixation and autologous bone grafting. Keywords:Gap non-union, proximal phalanx, fracture, skeletally immature, tibial strut graft