Treatment of femoral fracture in the child with head injury.

The outcome of various types of treatment for femoral fracture in children with head injury was studied retrospectively in 51 patients with 56 fractures. Of these, 36 patients (71 per cent) were in deep coma and scored 5 to 7 on the Glasgow scale. Forty-three children (84 per cent) were eventually able to walk freely. Open reduction and internal fixation proved an attractive solution for femoral fractures in children with head injury who could tolerate general anaesthesia: intramedullary nailing was safe and gave satisfactory results in 16 fractures but infection complicated three of the five fractures which were plated.