Below-elbow cast sufficient for treatment of minimally displaced metaphyseal both-bone fractures of the distal forearm in children: long-term results of a randomized controlled multicenter trial
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1080/17453674.2021.1889106Abstract
Background and purpose — We have previously shown that children with minimally displaced metaphyseal bothbone forearm fractures, who were treated with a belowelbow cast (BEC) instead of an above-elbow cast (AEC), experienced more comfort, less interference in daily activities, and similar functional outcomes at 7 months’ follow-up (FU). This study evaluates outcomes at 7 years’ follow-up.
Patients and methods — A secondary analysis was performed of the 7 years’ follow-up data from our RCT. Primary outcome was loss of forearm rotation compared with the contralateral forearm. Secondary outcomes were patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) consisting of the ABILHAND-kids and the DASH questionnaire, grip strength, radiological assessment, and cosmetic appearance.
Results — The mean length of FU was 7.3 years (5.9– 8.7). Of the initial 66 children who were included in the RCT, 51 children were evaluated at long-term FU. Loss of forearm rotation and secondary outcomes were similar in the 2 treatment groups.
Interpretation — We suggest that children with minimally displaced metaphyseal both-bone forearm fractures should be treated with a below-elbow cast.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Linde Musters, Leon W Diederix, Kasper C Roth, Pim P Edomskis, Gerald A Kraan, Jan H Allema, Max Reijman, Joost W Colaris
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.