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Epidemiological, Therapeutic, and Outcome Profile of Pediatric Femoral Shaft Fractures: A Retrospective Study of 66 Cases

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction: Femoral shaft fractures are common in children, and their management depends primarily on age. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, and outcome profiles of these fractures at a Moroccan university hospital.Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted from January 2023 to June 2025. Children aged 1 month to 16 years treated for a femoral shaft fracture were included. Epiphyseal and metaphyseal fractures and incomplete medical records were excluded.Results. Sixty-six Patients were Included: 53 boys (80.3%) and 13 girls (19.7%), with a mean age of 8.9 years (range, 1 month–16 years). Domestic accidents and road traffic accidents were the leading mechanisms (33.3% each). Five fractures were open (7.6%), and 22 patients (33.3%) had associated injuries. The middle third of the shaft was involved in 47.0% of cases; five fractures (7.6%) occurred in pathological bone. Elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) was used in 51.5% of cases, nonoperative treatment in 31.8%, locked intramedullary nailing in 9.1%, external fixation in 4.5%, and plate fixation in 3.0%. Complications included knee stiffness in 6 patients (9.1%), which resolved after rehabilitation, limb-length discrepancy in 4 (6.1%), and superficial infection in 2 (3.0%). No malunion, nonunion, or neurovascular injury was observed.Conclusion: In our series, femoral shaft fractures predominantly affected boys and mainly resulted from domestic or road traffic accidents. An age-based treatment strategy, with ESIN as the first-line surgical treatment in school-aged children, yielded good outcomes with few complications.
DOI: 10.9734/ajcrs/2026/v9i2883
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7225820973
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