Fractures of the Distal Femoral Epiphyseal Plate

A retrospective analysis of 30 consecutive fractures of the distal femoral epiphyseal plate showed the best results occurred when fractures were anatomically reduced and fixed with pins. No fractures with internal fixation displaced, whereas 43% of fractures reduced without fixation displaced during cast treatment. Complications were more frequent in displaced than non-displaced fractures. We were unable to demonstrate that gentle reduction under general anesthesia offered protection against subsequent physeal arrest when compared with closed reduction in the emergency room; however, reductions in the operating room were more likely to be anatomic.