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Proportional ulnar length identifies factors that affect patients with hereditary multiple exostoses
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Recent study results showed proportional ulnar length could be used to identify patients at risk for diminished forearm motion and radial head dislocation during childhood, and surgical intervention could potentially be offered before deterioration in function and dislocation of the radial head occurs.
An independent observer measured flexion and extension of the elbow and wrist and supination and pronation of the forearm and recorded the number of exostoses that affected the forearm in 106 patients with hereditary multiple exostoses. The patients were 15 years of age or older. Researchers calculated proportional ulnar length as a percentage of the measured height of the patient.
Overall, researchers identified exostoses in 86% of the 212 forearms they examined. Affected in 73% of patients, the distal radius was the most common site of exostoses. According to the results, one in seven patients had a dislocated radial head associated with reduced proportional ulnar length. On multivariate regression analysis, researchers confirmed that both radial head dislocation and proportional ulnar length were independent risk factors associated with forearm rotation. Both factors could also predict forearm motion when used in conjunction with other risk factors.
A reduced proportional ulnar length was another independent risk factor for radial head dislocation, based on the results.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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