Percutaneous K-wire fixation in paediatric Supracondylar fractures of humerus: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Supracondylar fractures are the commonest elbow injury in children. Most displaced Supracondylar fractures are manipulated and held with a medial/lateral entry or two lateral Kirschner wires. It was the purpose of this study to investigate the treatment of this injury in this unique patient population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in the Department of Orthopaedic surgery in M. M. Medical College from July 2005 to July 2010. One hundred seventy patients were recruited from Emergency and outpatient department having closed displaced Supracondylar fractures of humerus in children. They were treated either with medial-lateral pin fixation (n = 85) or with 2-lateral pin fixation (n = 85). All patients were operated under general anaesthesia. All patients were followed for 6 months. Results were analysed using Flynn's criteria. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi Square Test. Chi Square calculator was used as a software. RESULTS: All children achieved union in a mean time of 4 weeks (range: 3-6 weeks). Post-operatively, eight patients (4.70%) got ulnar nerve injury and six (3.52%) patients got pin tract infection. Comparison between two groups such as cross K-wire group (85) and lateral K-wire group (n = 85) by using the Chi Square Test showed that in case of 8 weeks with (P-values = 0.89), in 16 weeks (P = 0.91) and 24 weeks (P = 0.85) with respective excellent, good, fair and poor categories were not found statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The lateral percutaneous pinning technique of displaced Supracondylar fractures of the humerus offers a viable alternative to the crossed pinning group as it offers the same stability without the incipient risk of iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury.