Skip to main content

Pediatric Diaphyseal Tibia and Distal Tibia Fractures

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Foot and Ankle Disorders

Abstract

Tibial diaphyseal fractures in pediatric patients are a frequent injury. Many of them can be treated without major complications, but there is a group in which a well-managed treatment is relevant in order not to generate axis and rotational alterations and length discrepancies that could in the future generate restrictions in activities of daily living, pain, and functional sequelae that will limit the patient for life.

Due to its structure and anatomical relationships, the leg is a region where tissues and soft parts can be severely affected by trauma. The degree of injury of these same ones conditions the definitive treatment. It is always necessary to ensure good neurovascular status in this injury.

It is necessary to take into account the age and remodeling potential of the patient when deciding the treatment. If orthopedic treatment is chosen, the casting technique is demanding and requires close follow-up to detect loss of reduction or complications of the cast itself on which to act. If surgical treatment is chosen, it is necessary to be demanding in the technique and to achieve adequate stability, axes, and rotation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Mooney J, Hennrikus W. Fractures of the shaft of the tibia and fibula. In: Flynn JM, Skaggs DL, Waters PM, editors. Rockwood and Wilkins fractures in children. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2014. p. 1874–932.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Larsen P, Elsoe R, Hansen SH, Graven-Nielsen T, Laessoe U, Rasmussen S. Incidence and epidemiology of tibial shaft fractures. Injury. 2015;46(4):746–50. Epub 2015 Jan 16.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Raducha JE, Swarup I, Schachne JM, Cruz AI Jr, Fabricant PD. Tibial shaft fractures in children and adolescents. JBJS Rev. 2019;7(2):e4. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.RVW.18.00047.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cravino M, Canavese F, De Rosa V, et al. Outcome of displaced distal tibial metaphyseal fractures in children between 6 and 15 years of age treated by elastic stable intramedullary nails. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol. 2014;24(8):1603–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Mellick LB, Reesor K, Demers D, et al. Tibial fractures of young children. Pediatr Emerg Care. 1988;4:97–101.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Shannak AO. Tibial fractures in children: follow-up study. J Pediatr Orthop. 1988;8:306–10.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Cheng JCY, Shen WY. Limb fracture pattern in different pediatric age groups: a study of 3350 children. J Orthop Trauma. 1993;7:15–22.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Hansen BA, Greiff S, Bergmann F. Fractures of the tibia in children. Acta Orthop Scand. 1976;47:448–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Hogue GD, Wilkins KE, Kim IS. Management of pediatric tibial shaft fractures. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2019;27(20):769–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Pandya NK, Baldwin K, Wolfgruber H, et al. Child abuse and orthopaedic injury patterns: analysis at a level I pediatric trauma center. J Pediatr Orthop. 2009;29(6):618–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Nandra RS, Wu F, Gaffey A, Bache CE. The management of open tibial fractures in children: a retrospective case series of eight years' experience of 61 cases at a paediatric specialist centre. Bone Joint J. 2017;99-B(4):544–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Advanced Trauma Life Support for Doctors. ATLS student manual. 8th ed. American College of Surgeons; 2008. p. 225–57.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kay RM, Skaggs DL. Pediatric polytrauma management. J Pediatr Orthop. 2006;26(2):268–77.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Gustilo RB, Anderson JT. Prevention of infection in the treatment of one thousand and twenty-five open fractures of long bones: retrospective and prospective analyses. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1976;58(4):453–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Volgas DA, Harder Y. Preoperative assessment and classification of soft-tissue injuries. In: Manual of soft-tissue management in orthopaedic trauma. Stuttgart, New York: Georg Thieme Verlag; 2011. p. 54–77.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Lin JS, Samora JB. Pediatric acute compartment syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Pediatr Orthop B. 2020;29(1):90–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Sheffer BW, Villarreal ED, Ochsner MG 3rd, Sawyer JR, Spence DD, Kelly DM. Concurrent ipsilateral tibial shaft and distal tibial fractures in pediatric patients: risk factors, frequency, and risk of missed diagnosis. J Pediatr Orthop. 2020;40(1):e1–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Miele V, Di Giampietro I, Ianniello S, Pinto F, Trinci M. Diagnostic imaging in pediatric polytrauma management. Radiol Med. 2015;120(1):33–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Sarmiento A, Sharpe FE, Ebramzadeh E, et al. Factors influencing the outcome of closed tibial fractures treated with functional bracing. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1995;315:8–24.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sarmiento A. On the behavior of closed tibial fractures: clinical/radiological correlations. J Orthop Trauma. 2000;14:199–205.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Sarmiento A, Gersten LM, Sobol PA, et al. Tibial shaft fractures treated with functional braces. Experience with 780 fractures. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1989;71:602–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Mashru RP, Herman MJ, Pizzutillo PD. Tibial shaft fractures in children and adolescents. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2005;13:345–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Böhler L. Verbandlehre für Schwestern, Helfer, Studenten und Ärzte. Wien: Wilhelm Maudrich; 1943. German.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Godfrey J, Choi PD, Shabtai L, Nossov SB, Williams A, Lindberg AW, Silva S, Caird MS, Schur MD, Arkader A. Management of pediatric Type I open fractures in the emergency department or operating room: a multicenter perspective. J Pediatr Orthop. 2019;39(7):372–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ligier JN, Metaizeau JP, Prévot J. L'embrochage élastique stable à foyer fermé en traumatologie infantile [Closed flexible medullary nailing in pediatric traumatology]. Chir Pediatr. 1983;24(6):383–5.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Goodbody CM, Lee RJ, Flynn JM, Sankar WN. Titanium elastic nailing for pediatric tibia fractures: do older, heavier kids do worse? J Pediatr Orthop. 2016;36(5):472–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Pennock AT, Bastrom TP, Upasani VV. Elastic intramedullary nailing versus open reduction internal fixation of pediatric tibial shaft fractures. J Pediatr Orthop. 2017;37(7):e403–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. O'Connor JE, Bogue C, Spence LD, Last J. A method to establish the relationship between chronological age and stage of union from radiographic assessment of epiphyseal fusion at the knee: an Irish population study. J Anat. 2008;212(2):198–209.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Myers SH, Spiegel D, Flynn JM. External fixation of high-energy tibia fractures. J Pediatr Orthop. 2007;27(5):537–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Iobst CA. Hexapod external fixation of tibia fractures in children. J Pediatr Orthop. 2016;36(Suppl 1):S24–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Özkul E, Gem M, Arslan H, Alemdar C, Azboy I, Arslan SG. Minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis in open pediatric tibial fractures. J Pediatr Orthop. 2016;36(4):416–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Radhakrishna VN, Madhuri V. Management of pediatric open tibia fractures with supracutaneous locked plates. J Pediatr Orthop B. 2018;27(1):13–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Harly E, Angelliaume A, Lalioui A, Pfirrmann C, Harper L, Lefèvre Y. Divergent intramedullary nailing (DIN): a modified intramedullary nailing technique to treat paediatric distal tibial fractures. J Pediatr Orthop. 2019;39(10):e773–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Shen K, Cai H, Wang Z, Xu Y. Elastic stable intramedullary nailing for severely displaced distal tibial fractures in children. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016;95(39):e4980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Brantley J, Majumdar A, Jobe JT, Kallur A, Salas C. A biomechanical comparison of pin configurations used for percutaneous pinning of distal tibia fractures in children. Iowa Orthop J. 2016;36:133–7.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Jenkins MD, Jones DL, Billings AA, Ackerman ES, France JC, Jones ET. Early weight bearing after complete tibial shaft fractures in children. J Pediatr Orthop B. 2009;18:341–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Livingston KS, Glotzbecker MP, Shore BJ. Pediatric acute compartment syndrome. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2017;25(5):358–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Flynn JM, Bashyal RK, Yeger-McKeever M, Garner MR, Launay F, Sponseller PD. Acute traumatic compartment syndrome of the leg in children: diagnosis and outcome. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2011;93(10):937–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Herman MJ, Martinek MA, Abzug JM. Complications of tibial eminence and diaphyseal fractures in children: prevention and treatment. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2014;22(11):730–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Gordon JE, Gregush RV, Schoenecker PL, Dobbs MB, Luhmann SJ. Complications after titanium elastic nailing of pediatric tibial fractures. J Pediatr Orthop. 2007;27(4):442–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Dwyer AJ, John B, Krishen M, Hora R. Remodeling of tibial fractures in children younger than 12 years. Orthopedics. 2007;30:393–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Glass GE, Pearse M, Nanchahal J. The orthoplastic management of Gustilo grade IIIB fractures of the tibia in children: a systematic review of the literature. Injury. 2009;40(8):876–9. Epub 2009 May 5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Berkes M, Obremskey WT, Scannell B, Ellington JK, Hymes RA, Bosse M, Southeast Fracture Consortium. Maintenance of hardware after early postoperative infection following fracture internal fixation. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2010;92(4):823–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Lee SH, Hong JY, Bae JH, Park JW, Park JH. Factors related to leg length discrepancy after flexible intramedullary nail fixation in pediatric lower-extremity fractures. J Pediatr Orthop B. 2015;24(3):246–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Bakhsh WR, Cherney SM, McAndrew CM, Ricci WM, Gardner MJ. Surgical approaches to intramedullary nailing of the tibia: comparative analysis of knee pain and functional outcomes. Injury. 2016;47(4):958–61. Epub 2016 Jan 18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristian Olmedo Gárate .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Olmedo Gárate, C., Artigas Preller, C. (2022). Pediatric Diaphyseal Tibia and Distal Tibia Fractures. In: Wagner Hitschfeld, E., Wagner Hitschfeld, P. (eds) Foot and Ankle Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95738-4_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95738-4_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-95737-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-95738-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics