FRACTURES OF THE FEMORAL DIAPHYSIS IN CHILDREN (REPRINTED FROM ORTHOPCLIN NORTH AM, VOL 7, PG 633-638, 1976)

Fracture of the diaphysis of the femur in children is a common injury, The fracture heals rapidly and remodeling tends to correct angulation , This, plus the fact that nonunion of a femoral fracture treated by a closed method is almost unheard of, tends to encourage a cavalier att itude toward this injury, Contrary to the general impression that frac tures of the femur all heal well without sequelae, an end result in wh ich the injured extremity is entirely symmetrical with its opposite me mber does not often occur, Although union of the femoral fracture is n ot a problem, residual leg length discrepancies occur with some freque ncy, Malalignment tends to be corrected slowly and for many years, yet significant angular deformities still are seen in referral centers, A ttention to details is necessary for the injured extremity to heal wit hout significant residua.