The present material indicates that the results of treatment of supracondylar fracture of the humerus by skeletal traction according to Semb's method are superior to those obtained by treatment with manipulative reduction and plaster. We may conclude that only fractures without displacement or those with backward displacement of slight degree should be treated by the application of a plaster cast, or by closed reduction and plaster fixation. In fractures with more extensive displacement, traction or operative treatment seems preferable.
The results of treatment by traction appear to he as good as those obtained by operative treatment. Since traction is a much simpler procedure than an operation and is fraught with less risk of complications, the open reduction should be resorted to only when it is obvious that the traction treatment will fail to give a satisfactory result. The present series indicates that this is rarely the case.