RESEARCH ARTICLE
Transphyseal Femoral Neck Fracture in a Twenty-Month Old Male Child
Matthew J. Brown*, Michael R. Ferrick
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2016Volume: 10
First Page: 56
Last Page: 61
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-10-56
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001610010056
Article History:
Received Date: 03/03/2015Revision Received Date: 01/05/2015
Acceptance Date: 02/06/2015
Electronic publication date: 31/03/2016
Collection year: 2016

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International Public License (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode), which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Transphyseal femoral neck fractures are an extremely rare event, mainly occurring in children subjected to an significant traumatic force. The diagnosis is usually suggested by clinical examination with radiographic confirmation. Management varies; however, no consensus exists as to proper treatment. Intervention is primarily focused on the prevention of avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral epiphysis.
We present the case of a 20-month-old male with a delayed diagnosis of transphyseal femoral neck fracture. X-ray (XR) and computed tomography (CT) scan images were used for diagnosis, to track healing, and monitor the possible emergence of avascular necrosis. Final imaging demonstrated full healing without AVN at two years.
This study demonstrates the successful treatment of a rare pediatric fracture type with possible life-changing complications. Reduction, surgical fixation with K-wires, and spica casting are demonstrated as being acceptable treatment in the very young transphyseal fracture patient.