Comparison of two methods in the treatment of humeral supracondylar fracture in adolescents

Objective To retrospective analyze and compare the clinical efficacy of percutaneous pin fixation and plate fixation for the treatment of humeral supracondylar fracture in adolescents. Methods From 2008 to 2016, a total of 52 adolescents with humeral supracondylar fracture were included in this study. According to the treatment methods, they were divided into two groups, 34 cases of percutaneous pin fixation and 18 cases of locking compression plate fixation. The operation time, blood loss, hospitalization time, hospitalization expenses, fracture healing time, elbow function and incidence of complications were analyzed and compared. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in gender, the time between injury and operation, fracture healing time. The age and body mass of the patients in plate fixation group were larger than those in Kirschner wire group. The operation time, blood loss and hospitalization expenses of Kirschner wire group were significantly lower than those of plate fixation group. The elbow motion range of plate fixation group was significantly better than that of Kirschner wire group at the early stage, while the complications such as skin and pin tract infection and fracture reduction loss of Kirschner wire group were more than those of plate fixation group. However, there was no statistical difference between the two groups of elbow motion range 12 months after the operation. Conclusion For the humeral supracondylar fractures in adolescents, both of the Kirschner wire and plate can provide safe and effective internal fixation after fracture reduction. Closed percutaneous pin fixation will cause higher incidence of complications than open reduction and plate fixation in the treatment of the patients with bone development close to mature and unstable humeral supracondylar fracture. Therefore, it is recommended to choose open reduction and plate fixation for this kind of adolescents. Key words: Humeral fractures; Adolescent; Percutaneous pinning; Locking compression plate; Comparative study