Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41717534›Full record

ReviewJournal of children's orthopaedics2026

Evolution and outcomes of telescoping intramedullary rods in pediatric bone fragility disorders: A systematic review.

Peter Joseph Mounsef, Jack Legler, Dev Patel, Reggie Hamdy

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of children's orthopaedics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Peter Joseph MounsefShriners Hospitals for Children, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0155-6329
Jack LeglerShriners Hospitals for Children, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4308-7586
Dev PatelFaculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1313-7436
Reggie HamdyShriners Hospitals for Children, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Telescoping intramedullary rods have transformed the management of long bone deformity and fragility fractures in children, yet complications and revision surgery remain common. This systematic review synthesizes outcomes across telescoping systems to evaluate complication and revision rates, telescoping success, and design evolution to guide implant selection and surgical decision-making in pediatric orthopedics. Methods: A search was conducted through July 2025 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies reporting outcomes of telescoping rods in pediatric patients were included. Due to heterogeneity, results were synthesized descriptively and presented as weighted means per operated bone. Results: Thirty-three studies (861 patients; 2054 rods) were included. Weighted mean complication and revision rates were 49.6% and 25.7% for Bailey-Dubow rods, 61.1% and 24.5% for Sheffield rods, 37.1% and 30.5% for Fassier-Duval rods, 14.9% and 9.0% for corkscrew-locking rods, and 46.7% and 6.7% for distal-female rods. Telescoping success was 48% for Bailey-Dubow, 74% for Fassier-Duval, 94% for corkscrew, and 100% for distal-female designs. Variation in follow-up duration and definitions of complications contributed to differences in reported rates. Conclusions: Modern telescoping rods have reduced migration and mechanical failure compared with earlier designs, yet complication and revision rates remain substantial. Newer systems show encouraging early results but require longer follow-up for validation. Differences in bone anatomy and biomechanics strongly influence implant performance, underscoring the need to tailor rod selection to individual bones. Significance: This review consolidates published complication and revision rates across telescoping rod designs, establishing a foundation for comparison as newer implants are introduced and long-term outcome data become available. Level of Evidence: III.

Indexed as

bone fragility disordersfractureintramedullary rodslimb deformityosteogenesis imperfectaTelescoping rods

Identifiers

PMID41717534
PMCPMC12913040

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.