A Clinical Study of Traumatic Epiphyseal Plate Fracture

Cho, Jae Lim; Kim, Kwang Hoe; Kim, Sung Joon; Yoon, Young Choo

Abstract

In paediatric orthopaedic, it has been discovered that the fracture of the epiphyseal plate may cause not only growth disturbances but also progressive deformity upon appendicular skeleton of a growing child. Between 1972 May and 1983 April, 102 inward patients(106 cases) who were 18 years old or younger were treated in the department of orthopaedic surgery of Hanyang University Hospital because of epiphyseal plate fractures. The results were summerized as followings: 1. The peak age was from 5 years to 14 years(average, 10.2 years old). 2. The sex ratio was 4.3 for male to 1 for female. 3. The left side was involved more frequently than the right extremity. 4. The most common cause of fractures was injury on fall down(in 41.4% of all cases). 5. The incidence of epiphyseal fracture was 8.1% of fracture in children. 6. The most common fracture was developed at humeral epiphysis. 7. The most common type of epiphyseal fracture was Salter and Harris type IV. 8. The 50.5% of all cases was treated by closed reduction and cast immobilization, 48.1% by open reduction and internal fixation, and 1.9% by closed reduction and traction. 9. The average period of immobilization was 5.2 weeks. 10. The incidence of complication of all cases was 13.2%, but only 2 cases of them(1.9%) were needed for operation because of their complication.