Comparison of Open Reduction and Internal Fixation with Plate and Titanium Elastic Intramedullary Nail in Treating Pediatric Humeral Fracture

Objective To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of titanium elastic intramedullary nail (TEN) and open reduction and internal fixation with plate (ORIF) in the treatment of humeral fracture in children. Methods A retrospective study was carried out in a total of 69 patients who were admitted to the hospital from January 2013 to December 2018. These patients, including 41 males and 28 females, were aged from 6 to 12 years old with a median of 8 years. These patients were diagnosed with humeral fracture and underwent the surgery of ORIF (n = 22) or TEN (n = 47). The intraoperative bleeding, operation time, length of stay (LOS), and fracture healing time were compared between the two groups. The therapeutic effect was assessed by the shoulder range of motion, the elbow range of motion, the UCLA shoulder function score, and the Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS) 6 months after the surgery. Results The intraoperative bleeding (97.20 ± 27.83 mL vs 185.60 ± 37.50 mL, P