This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Large number of concomitant injuries found in patients aged 65 years or older
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Although patients older than 65 years who had a distal humeral coronal plane fracture had no substantial risk of a complex fracture pattern, they experienced a large number of concomitant injuries, according to results.
Researchers performed a retrospective study of 23 patients older than 65 years who sustained a distal humeral coronal plane fracture treated with open reduction and internal fixation. Researchers classified fractures according to the Dubberley classification and evaluated all patients using the Mayo Elbow Performance Index and DASH scores.
Overall, three patients were lost during the study, which had a mean follow-up of 48 months. Researchers noted 16 type 1 and four type 2 fractures, and patients included had a mean age of 71 years. Just more than half of patients (65%) were women.
Results showed a mean Mayo Elbow Performance Index of 92 and a mean DASH score of 9. Fifty percent of patients experienced either a concomitant fracture or an elbow dislocation, according to results. Researchers noted a mean sagittal plane range of motion of approximately 122° at last follow-up, with worse scores on the Mayo Elbow Performance Index and DASH scale found among patients with type 2 fractures who experienced lower extension.
Researchers also found an association with better range of motion in flexion and better outcomes in functional scores when screws were placed in the posteroanterior direction. According to results, three patients experienced post-traumatic osteoarthritis; one patient experienced avascular necrosis; five patients experienced heterotopic ossification; and one patient required reoperation. – by Casey Tingle
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts