Does Prophylactic Pinning Affect the Proximal Femur Morphology in Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis?

Background: The role of prophylactic pinning of the contralateral hip in unilateral SCFE is well established in patients with risk factors for developing contralateral slip. The effect of prophylactic pinning on the growth and morphology of the hip is not well documented in the literature. We aimed to study the effect of prophylactic pinning on the residual growth and morphology of the proximal femur. Materials & Methods: The institutional database was searched for all unilateral SCFE cases for the period 2011 to 2020. A total of 171 unilateral SCFE cases were identified. All the radiographs were scanned and those patients who had follow-up X-rays till skeletal maturity were included in the study. Prophylactic pinning was performed using 6.5 mm fully threaded cancellous screws in supine position on a radiolucent table. The following radiological parameters were measured on the post-operative X-rays and at skeletal maturity: (i) neck length (NL), (ii) neck-shaft angle (NSA), (iii) femoral offset (FO), (iv) articulo-trochanteric distance (ATD) and (iv) tip-apex distance (TAD) by two different observers. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 13.7 years. ATD decreased from the mean value of 25.67 mm in post-operative radiographs to 20.84 mm in final follow-up radiographs. The NL, FO, and TAD were found to be increasing with age with mean final follow-up values of 55.35 mm, 41.41 mm, and 6.19 mm respectively compared to post-operative mean values of 50.95 mm, 37.4 mm, and 4.69 mm. There was no significant change in the neck-shaft angle. The mean post-operative NSA was 132.9° and it was 131.8° at final follow-up radiographs. Conclusion: Prophylactic pinning in unilateral SCFE does not stop the growth of the proximal femur completely. The ATD decreases in all the patients with prophylactic screw fixation probably due to the discrepancy in growth between the trochanteric apophysis and proximal femoral physis. The clinical effects of this subtle change in the morphology of the proximal femur need further investigation. Level of Evidence: Level IV Case series.

Caffey's Disease of the Scapula: A Case Report.

Infantile cortical hyperostosis also named as Caffey's disease is a rare self-limiting inflammatory disease that usually affects children during infancy. It is characterized by subperiosteal new bone formation usually involving the diaphysis of long bone as well as the ribs, mandible, scapula, and ribs. It is crucial to diagnose the disease at an earlier stage to avoid superfluous surgery. We report a rare case of infantile cortical hyperostosis of the scapula, its clinical and radiological features.

Controlled repositioning and primary osteoplasty as a treatment option for the management of unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

The ideal management of an unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is still controversial. The currently available options are in-situ screw fixation with delayed corrective osteotomy, closed reduction and screw fixation and anatomic reduction by modified Dunn's procedure (MDP). We present the results of our technique of controlled re-positioning (CRP) with primary osteoplasty in which the epiphysis is repositioned to the preacute slip stage and a mini-open osteoplasty is done in the same sitting to avoid later femoro-acetabular impingement. We had 27 unstable slips which presented to our institution between 2015 and 2019, of which nine were treated with the above technique, and the rest 18 were treated with MDP. All of them were followed up for a minimum of 1 year. The mean intraoperative flexion-internal rotation before osteoplasty was -21.1° (-5° to -40°), which improved to +22.8° (+15° to +30°). Pre- and post-operative mean head-neck angles were 46.5° and 18.3°, respectively, with a decrease of 28.2°. At the final follow-up, the mean alpha angle was 45.1° and the mean head-neck offset ratio was 0.26. None of the patients had avascular necrosis or chondrolysis. The technique of CRP, screw fixation and primary osteoplasty is a viable treatment option for a subset of patients with unstable SCFEs. But, the decision is made intraoperatively and the parents need to be counselled about the need for an alternative procedure if repositioning is unsuccessful. Level of evidence: level IV - case series.

Pelvic osteotomies in hip dysplasia: why, when and how?

Acetabular dysplasia is a significant problem in the spectrum of developmental dysplasia of hip. In a younger child, positioning the femoral head into the acetabulum helps in reciprocal remodeling of the acetabulum and correction of dysplasia. In an older child, the remodeling potential is limited and often the acetabular dysplasia needs surgical intervention in the form of a pelvic osteotomy. Thus, pelvic osteotomy forms an integral part of surgical management of hip dysplasia. The ultimate goal of these osteotomies is to preclude or postpone the development of osteoarthritis and add more years of life to the native hip. Pelvic osteotomies play a pivotal role in normalizing hip morphology. The choice of pelvic osteotomy depends on the age of a child, the type of dysplasia and the status of the tri-radiate cartilage. Several types of re-directional and reshaping pelvic osteotomies have been described in the literature to improve the stability and restore the anatomy and biomechanics of the dysplastic hip. This article attempts to review the current indications for various pelvic osteotomies with a brief description of their techniques along with the outcomes and complications published thus far. Besides, the guidelines to choose the right pelvic osteotomy are also provided.

Bilateral Unstable Severe Valgus Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis: A Case Report.

CASE: Bilateral valgus slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is a rare condition with few cases reported in the literature. However, there are no reports of bilateral unstable valgus SCFE. We report a unique case of bilateral acute-on-chronic unstable valgus SCFE with severe coxa valga in a 9-year-old girl. She was treated with bilateral capital realignment procedure along with subtrochanteric osteotomy and had a good clinical outcome. CONCLUSION: We hitherto report a rare case of bilateral unstable valgus SCFE which was successfully managed. This report also highlights the importance of the need for additional osteotomies to address the deformity.

Non-union of the Clavicle Osteotomy Site in an Infant with Birth Brachial Plexus Palsy.

Non-union of the clavicle in the paediatric population is extremely rare. Some anecdotal case reports show non-union following clavicle fracture. However, we could not find any report of non-union following osteotomy for brachial plexus surgery. We report non-union of clavicle following its osteotomy for brachial plexus exploration surgery in a 6-month child. We present successful management of the clavicle non-union in this patient and propose preventive steps. Level of Evidence: Level V (Therapeutic).

Factors determining loss of reduction in paediatric supracondylar humerus fractures treated by closed reduction and percutaneous pinning.

Closed reduction and percutaneous pinning is the preferred surgical intervention for paediatric supracondylar humerus fractures (SCHF). Loss of reduction (LOR) is one of the infrequent complications associated with percutaneous pinning. We aim to analyse the various factors that could lead to LOR. We retrospectively reviewed records of all children with Gartland's type III and IV SCHF who were operated at our institution between 2014 and 2016. A defined set of radiologic indices were measured on postoperative and follow-up radiographs. Correlation between LOR (as defined by Skaggs) and radiologic indices, was calculated. In total 187 children who satisfied the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Major LOR was present in 8 patients (4.28%), mild LOR was seen in 21 patients (11.22%), and there was no LOR in 158 patients (84.49%). A pin-spread fracture width ratio of 0.37 had maximum sensitivity and specificity for predicting LOR. The convergent pin configuration had the highest rate of LOR of 15%, whereas it was about 3% in the crossed pin and lateral divergent pinning group. The incidence of iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury in our series was 4.76%, and all were in the cross pinning group. Pin-spread fracture width ratio is the most crucial factor determining LOR, and a ratio of less than 0.37 has a significantly higher rate of LOR. As the incidence of LOR is not significantly different between the lateral-only and crossed pin groups, a medial pin should be used judiciously to avert the risk of ulnar nerve injury. Level of evidence: Level IV.

Short-term outcomes of treatment in children presenting with DDH in walking age - An analysis of 84 hips.

BACKGROUND: Developmental Dysplasia of Hip (DDH) presenting at walking age is not uncommon, particularly in developing countries. The available treatment modalities in this age group are closed reduction (CR), open reduction (OR), OR with additional femoral and/or pelvic osteotomy. This study was done in patients who presented between 12 and 36 months of age to assess the following: 1) Percentage of hips amenable for successful CR, 2) failure rate after CR and OR in walking age DDH and 3) the need for secondary procedures to address subluxation and residual dysplasia within first 2 years. METHOD: ology: After IRB approval, the institutional database was searched for patients admitted with a diagnosis of DDH from January 2009 to January 2019. We identified 142 patients, of which 65 patients with 84 hips formed the study cohort after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Demographic details, details of the interventions, brace wear, revision procedures and radiological data were collected from Hospital Information System. We divided the patients in three groups: Group I - CR, Group II -OR, and Group III - OR with an additional bony procedure in the form of femoral and/or pelvic osteotomy. RESULTS: The mean age at presentation was 20.1 months. We had 10 (11.9%) hips in group I, 39 (46.4%) hips in group II and 35 (41.6%) hips in group III. The mean follow-up was 44.8 months (24-132 months). In Group I, 5 (50%) had re-dislocation and 2 (20%) needed revision intervention for residual dysplasia. In Group II, 4 (10%) had re-dislocation and 4 (10%) needed revision intervention. In Group III, 5 (14.2%) hips needed revision intervention for residual dysplasia. The mean final AI was 24.6°in Group I, 28.2° in Group II and 26.3°in Group III. There was no significant difference in the final AI between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: An attempted closed reduction has a 50% failure rate, and we recommend a low threshold for open reduction. There is a 10% rate of re-dislocation following open reduction with or without additional bony procedure. About 50% of the dysplastic hips treated without pelvic osteotomy at the time of index procedure fail to remodel and have residual acetabular dysplasia.

Is there a role for controlled repositioning and mini-open primary osteoplasty in the management of unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis?

The management of unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis is controversial with variable rates of avascular necrosis (AVN). Treatment options include in-situ stabilization, gentle/positional reduction and screw fixation and modified Dunn's procedure (MDP). We present a technique of controlled repositioning (CRP) of the epiphysis to pre-acute slip stage, screw fixation and primary osteoplasty. Between 2015 and 2020, 38 unstable slips were treated in our institution. Of these, 14 underwent successful CRP and the rest were treated with MDP. All the 14 patients who had CRP and completed 1-year follow-up were included for this study. The head-neck angle (HNA) was measured at presentation and alpha angle, head-neck offset and AVN were assessed during follow-up. The average age was 14 years (9-18) and mean follow-up was 17.7 months (12-43). The average intraoperative flexion internal rotation before osteoplasty was -18.5° (-40° to -5°) which improved to +22.1° (+15° to +30°). The average preoperative HNA was 48.7° (34.1° to 70.7°) which improved to 18.4° (1.8° to 35.7°) post-operatively. At final follow-up, the average alpha angle and head-neck offset were 46.4° (30.9° to 64.6°) and 0.22 (0.09 to 0.96), respectively. The AVN rate in the CRP group was 7.1% compared with 20.8% in the MDP group, which was not significant (P = 0.383). Two patients had screw breakage. CRP, screw fixation and mini-open primary osteoplasty is a feasible treatment option in a subgroup of patients with unstable SCFEs. The limitation with this technique is that the final decision is made intraoperatively, and hence the patient and parents need to be counselled and consented appropriately. Level of evidence: Level IV-Case series.

A Simple Modified Technique for In-Situ Screw Fixation in Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis.

BACKGROUND: In-situ pinning has a definite role in the management of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). We describe a modified technique for in-situ screw fixation on a regular radiolucent operating table which avoids certain complications innate with the existing techniques. MATERIALS: Sixty consecutive hips which underwent either in-situ fixation for SCFE (28 hips) or prophylactic fixation of the contralateral hip (32 hips) by the modified technique were analysed. The femoral head was divided into three zones (A-central, B-middle, C-peripheral) of equal circles. The zone of the screw was noted in both AP and lateral views. The angle between the physeal line and the screw in AP(SAP) and lateral (Slat) view, and the distance from screw tip to articular surface in both views were measured. RESULTS: In AP view, 55/60 (91.6%) screws were in zone-A, and five were in zone-B. In the lateral view, 56/60 (93.3%) screws were in zone-A, and four were in zone-B. There was no screw placed in zone-C in either of the views. The average deviation was < 15° in AP view and < 7° in lateral view from the ideal placement. The mean distance from the screw tip to the articular margin in AP was 5.15 mm and that in lateral was 6.15 mm. The interobserver agreement rate was found to be 0.8. No patient had intraoperative breakage of a drill bit or joint penetration, avascular necrosis, chondrolysis or screw-related complications at a minimum follow-up of one year. CONCLUSION: In-situ pinning on the radiolucent table is safe and has distinct advantages. The modified technique of in-situ screw fixation adds to the safety and accuracy of the procedure. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Displaced Femoral Neck Fracture in a Child Mimicking the Retinacular Flap Technique for Capital Realignment: A Case Report.

CASE: Pediatric femoral neck fractures are rare injuries usually associated with high-energy trauma. We present a grossly displaced femoral neck fracture in a 7-year-old girl due to a high violence road traffic accident, in which the femoral neck had buttonholed medially into the adductors. The management and clinical and radiological outcomes are discussed with relevant literature. CONCLUSION: This case is reported for its atypical presentation, in which the metaphysis of the proximal femur completely separated from the capital epiphysis and the greater trochanteric apophysis leaving the posterior periosteal flap intact mimicking the retinacular flap technique for capital realignment procedure.

Paediatric Ankle Fractures: Guidelines to Management.

INTRODUCTION: Paediatric ankle fractures represents about 5% of all paediatric fractures. It is the most common physis to be injured in the lower limb accounting to approximately 15-20% of all physeal injuries. This article reviews the literature on this common injury which still has many controversial areas and gives guidelines to management based on the existing evidence along with clinical experience gained from a Level I trauma center. CLASSIFICATION: The original Salter-Harris Classification with the additional types is a good system to guide on the management. The transitional fractures form a separate group with technically two broad types-biplane and triplane injuries. Though there are many sub-types in this group with some popular eponymous fractures, the treatment principles remain the same. MANAGEMENT: A very low threshold for CT scan is recommended when there is a clinical suspicion of fracture with a negative radiograph or an intra-articular fracture in the radiograph especially in the adolescent age group. CT scan helps in accurate quantification of the intra-articular displacement and also helps to comprehend the fracture geometry better. All the intra-articular fractures with displacement > 2 mm need perfect anatomical reduction and stabilization. Assisted closed reduction and percutaneous fixation along with arthrogram to confirm articular congruity is acceptable as long as the reduction is perfect. Irrespective of the method of treatment, in children with more than 2 years of growth remaining it is important to counsel regarding the high incidence of pre-mature physeal closure and the need for regular follow-up.

Is the Acetabulum Retroverted in SCFE? A Study of Acetabular Morphology in Indian Children with SCFE.

BACKGROUND: Acetabular morphology has always been an area of interest in patients with slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). Acetabular retroversion in SCFE is proposed as a pre-disposing factor and also can predispose the hip to pincer impingement. But there is controversial data in literature regarding the acetabular morphology. All available data are from the West and we present the first study on acetabular morphology in Indian children with SCFE. METHODS: CT scans of 29 patients with SCFE were collected from our database and anteversion was measured as described by Dandachli et al. Lateral central edge angle (LCEA) was measured in the standard AP radiographs of the pelvis. There were 20 boys and 9 girls with a mean age of 13.5. Seven patients had right side SCFE, eighteen had left side SCFE, and four had bilateral involvement. Measurements were done in 33 affected hips and compared with 25 normal hips. RESULTS: The mean AVsup and AVcen of affected hips were 6.59° and 13.51°, respectively, and that in normal hips were 8.36° and 14.04° (p > 0.05). The mean LCEA was 23.05° on the affected hips and 25.45° on the normal hips (p > 0.05). The AVsup showed retroversion in 24.24% (8/33) of the affected hips and 20% (5/25) of the normal hips. Though the mean version was less in SCFE hips, it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our study documents that 25% of hips with SCFE had acetabular retroversion. However, this was not significantly high compared to the contralateral hips.

Demographic and Practice Variability Amongst Indian Centres in a Multicentre Prospective Observational Study on Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip.

BACKGROUND: Since 2017, five Indian centres have enrolled into the International Hip Dysplasia Registry for prospective collection of data on Developmental Dysplasia of Hip (DDH). AIMS: To assess how baseline patient characteristics and initial treatment modalities differ across these five centres. METHODS: Registry data collected over 3 years were analyzed. Children with DDH that had radiograph-based diagnoses were included. RESULTS: Collectively, there were 234 hips (181 patients), of which 218 had undergone surgery. Overall, median age at presentation was 25.3 months (IQR 16.8-46.0); female/male ratio was 2.6:1 (range 1.46-4.75:1); with 42%, 29%, and 29% unilateral left, bilateral and unilateral right hip dislocations respectively. Most were IHDI grade III and IV dislocations (94%). Closed reduction was performed at all but one centre, at median 15.3 months (IQR 9.6-21.1). Open reduction (OR) as a stand-alone procedure was performed at all centres, at median 20.8 months (IQR 15.4-24.9). Combination of OR with a single osteotomy, femoral (FO) or acetabular (AO), was performed at all centres at median 29.7 months (IQR 22.1-43.5). However, for the same age group, three centres exclusively performed FO, whereas the other two exclusively performed AO. The combination of OR with both FO and AO was used at all centres, at median 53.4 months (IQR 42.1-70.8). CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings of this multi-centre study indicate similar patient demographics and diagnoses, but important differences in treatment regimens across the five Indian centres. Comparison of treatment regimens, using the 'centre' as a predictive variable, should allow us to identify protocols that give superior outcomes.

Ender's nailing of displaced tibia shaft fractures in children - A nine-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Displaced fractures of the tibial shaft in children can be effectively treated with minimal complications with flexible nails. Our aim is to evaluate the outcome of displaced paediatric tibia shaft fractures treated with Ender's nails. MATERIALS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of all unstable tibial fractures treated between 2010 and 2018, in our institution. Only children with a minimum of six months follow-up and complete clinical data were considered for the study. RESULTS: Of the 72 patients who fulfilled the inclusion-exclusion criteria, 8 were lost for follow-up and hence we had 64 patients included for the study. There were 54 boys and 10 girls, with an average age of 10.9 years(4 to 17 years). The average follow-up was 16.9 months (6 to 47 months). There were nine open fractures. Two nails were used in 52(81.25%) patients while a single nail was used in 6(9.37%) patients and three nails were used in 6(9.37%) patients. The union rate was 100% with an average union time of 10.6 weeks. There were 17 (26.5%) patients with delayed union but none required intervention. One (1.56%) child had a malunion >10° (recurvatum of 11.9° and varus of 8.1°). Radiographs at the final review demonstrated >5° of coronal plane malalignment in eight patients (12.5%) and >5° sagittal plane malalignment (recurvatum) in six patients (9.37%). There was an associated fibular fracture in 50 children and there was no significant association between the presence of fibular fracture and malalignment (p>0.05). All children who presented for implant removal had full range of movement at the knee and ankle joint and no limb length discrepancy. CONCLUSION: We report the largest series of paediatric tibial shaft fractures treated with Ender's nails. Ender's nail is a simple and cost-effective option for treating these fractures with excellent union rates and minimal complications.

Management of slipped capital femoral epiphysis: Results of a survey of the members of the Paediatric Orthopaedic Society of India (POSI).

AIM: To determine the preferred practices in the treatment of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) among members of the Paediatric Orthopaedic Society of India (POSI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire with 16 vignettes was made about SCFE and sent to all members of the Paediatric Orthopaedic Society of India (POSI) to study the similarity and variation in the management of SCFE. Specifically, respondents were asked about the role of reduction, methods of fixation, prophylactic fixation of the non-affected hip, postoperative management and their view on the prevalence of Femoro Acetabular Impingement (FAI) and anticipated need for secondary surgery. RESULTS: The response rate was 94 out of 203 members of Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons of India (51.9%). 62 out of 94 (66%) participating surgeons had an exclusive paediatric orthopaedics workload, with 61 surgeons (65%) having more than ten years of experience. Seventy-eight surgeons (83%) were most consistent in their advice for the management of stable slips based on severity. For severe stable slips, 67 surgeons (71%) recommended Modified Dunn procedure. Around 23% of the respondents preferred to do modified Dunn's procedure for all unstable slips while the rest had different approaches to treat this. Single Partially threaded cancellous screw is the preferred implant for in-situ fixation, while a single screw and K wire construct is the preferred construct for in Modified Dunn's procedure. Only 17(16%) of the responders do prophylactic pinning of the opposite hip regularly. Almost 90 responders (96%) do counsel parents about FAI in later stages of life. CONCLUSION: Our study documents that about 70% of the practising paediatric orthopaedic surgeons prefer to do capital realignment procedure for severe stable slips. The treatment of unstable slips remains controversial without any consensus though about 70% believe that there is a role of gentle reduction or positional reduction or skeletal traction. About 50% of the respondents treat less than five slips a year and thus would not possible to generate high-quality evidence based on meagre numbers. This clearly shows that there is a need for developing a national SCFE registry to pool in all data which would help us to arrive at meaningful conclusions to arrive at the ideal management guidelines for SCFE.

Bilateral avascular necrosis of the femoral head following asynchronous postictal femoral neck fractures: a case report and review of the literature.

Bilateral avascular necrosis (AVN) following postictal bilateral fracture neck of the femur is a rare occurrence. Here, we report a case of bilateral AVN of the femoral head following an asynchronous bilateral postictal fracture neck of the femur. A 16-year-old autistic boy presented with left hip pain following an episode of seizures and radiographs showed Delbet type II fracture neck of the left femur. This was treated by closed reduction and cancellous screw fixation and skeletal traction for 6 weeks. At 3 months, follow-up radiograph showed union of the fracture, but he had developed segmental AVN with collapse of the head. At 8 months, the patient presented with pain in the right hip following another episode of seizures and radiograph of the pelvis showed a fresh Delbet type II fracture neck of the right femur with established AVN of the left femoral head. He underwent closed reduction and cancellous screw fixation of the right hip and implant exit of the left hip. At the 6-month follow-up after this surgery, his radiograph of the pelvis showed AVN with collapse and extrusion of the femoral head on the right side as well. Literature review shows an increased risk of fracture neck of the femur among epileptics. The incidence of AVN is maximum in Delbet type I, followed by Delbet type II and type III in that order. Although there are no clear guidelines on the management of post-traumatic AVN of the femoral head, the majority have reported that most of them will eventually develop arthritis and will require total hip replacement at a later date. Upon extensive literature search, no case report of bilateral fracture neck of the femur with bilateral AVN was found and hence this case was reported.

Percutaneous excision of difficult osteoid osteomas using intraoperative AIRO CT navigation: a preliminary report.

Osteoid osteomas are well known for intraoperative technical difficulties for localization and adequate excision, especially when they are not clearly visualized on plain radiographs or when they occur in difficult and inaccessible situations. Localization in the radiology suite and shifting the patient to the operating room can be cumbersome, and can result in errors because of lack of real-time imaging. In these scenarios, intraoperative navigation will be useful. We report a technique of intraoperative computed tomography (CT) navigation for localization and excision of osteoid osteomas of the long bones. Six patients (four femoral and two tibial lesions) with a radiological diagnosis of osteoid osteoma, in whom the nidus could not be visualized clearly on plain radiographs, were treated with this technique. Intraoperative CT navigation with AIRO was performed and the images were registered to the computer. The lesion was then localized and excised using a high-speed burr. All patients underwent postexcision on-table CT scans, which showed complete excision of the nidus. All patients became symptom free and are doing well at a minimum follow-up of 6 months. Intraoperative CT navigation helps to exactly localize the nidus and also helps to confirm complete excision of the nidus. This is a safe, effective and minimally invasive method to treat osteoid osteomas, particularly those that are not amenable to excision under C arm guidance.

Use of Ganga Hospital Open Injury Severity Scoring for determination of salvage versus amputation in open type IIIB injuries of lower limbs in children-An analysis of 52 type IIIB open fractures.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Open injuries in children are rare compared to adults. In children with major open injuries, there is no specific scoring system to guide when to amputate or salvage the limb. The use of available adult scoring systems may lead to errors in management. The role of Ganga Hospital Open Injury Severity Scoring (GHOISS) for open injuries in adults is well established and its applicability for pediatric open injuries has not been studied. This study was done to analyse the usefulness of GHOISS in pediatric open injuries and to compare it with MESS(Mangled Extremity Severity Score). METHODS: All children (0-18 years) who were admitted with Open type IIIB injuries of lower limbs between January 2008 and March 2015 were included. MESS and GHOISS were calculated for all the patients. There were 50 children with 52 type IIIB Open injuries of which 39 had open tibial fractures and 13 had open femur fractures. RESULTS: Out of 52 type IIIB open injuries, 48 were salvaged and 4 were amputated. A MESS score of 7 and above had sensitivity of 25% for amputation while GHOISS of 17 and above was found to be more accurate for determining amputation with sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 93.75%. CONCLUSION: GHOISS is a reliable predictor of injury severity in type IIIB open fractures in children and can be used as a guide for decision-making. The use of MESS score in children has a lower predictive value compared to GHOISS in deciding amputation versus salvage. A GHOISS of 17 or more has the highest sensitivity and specificity to predict amputation.