INTRAARTICULER FRACTURES OF THE DISTAL HUMERUS IN THE ADULT: SURGICAL TREATMENT AND RESULTS

Abstract

Introduction: Fractures of the distal humerus in adults are difficult to treat. The problem of management has been made more difficult by the fact that the fracture is relatively uncommon, which prevents the individual surgeon from accumulating sufficient personal experience to critically evaluate the results of treatment. Recent trends support open reduction, stable internal fixation and early postoperative active mobilization. The purpose of this study was to retrospectively review the treatment and results of fractures treated with stable internal fixation followed by early active movement at our clinic.
Patients and methods: Seven patients had operative reduction and internal fixation of an intraarticular fracture of the distal end of the humerus. Using the classification system of AO, all fractures were classified as type C. The mean age was 30.8 years and the mean follow-up time was 20.1 months.
Results: Four patients were considered to have an excellent over-all rating, 2 patients a good rating, 1 patient a fair rating. One patient had nonunion of olecranon and one patient had ulnar neuropraxia as a complication.
Conclusion: Succesful clinical outcome can be achieved with early stable open reduction and internal fixation in these challenging fractures.