Treatment of Pediatric Supracondylar Humeral Fractures With Novel Kirschner Wire Fixation Devices: A Prospective Comparative Study

Brief Summary

Detailed Description

Supracondylar humeral fractures are the most common elbow fractures in children. Closed reduction and internal fixation using percutaneous Kirschner wires (K-wires) are widely recommended for Gartland type II and III fractures. After percutaneous pinning, the K-wires are bent at the skin edge and cut. The cutoff point is about 1 cm outside of the skin. The diameters of the K-wires are between 1.5-3.0 mm. The surface of the K-wire is smooth. Therefore, the K-wires are easy to rotation and migration. Proximal migration or rotation of a K-wire could injure the skin. Distal migration of a K-wire could result in loss of reduction and fixation. Therefore, stabilization of the K-wires is important. A novel K-wire external fixation device was developed by the investigators. The K-wires can be connected by the device. After connection, the structure of the K-wires is transformed to an external skeletal fixator. Therefore, the K-wires are stabilized and unable to migrate independently. The stability of fracture fixation is better in patient with this K-wire external fixation device. The investigators got a one-year grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan last year. The preliminary data revealed that the torque and torsional stiffness with the K-wire external fixation device was greater than traditional pinning. The purposes of this study are to optimize the K-wire external fixation device and test its function in real clinical practice.

Primary Outcomes