Fractures of the Radial Head

Radial head fractures are the most common fractures around the elbow. Because they are often accompanied by ligamentous injuries, we recommend considering them to be osteoligamentous injuries rather than simple fractures, even in undisplaced or minimally displaced fractures. Surgeons should always s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHand clinics Vol. 31; no. 4; p. 533
Main Authors Burkhart, Klaus Josef, Wegmann, Kilian, Müller, Lars P, Gohlke, Frank E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.11.2015
Subjects
Arthroplasty, Replacement
Diagnostic Imaging
Elbow Joint - anatomy & histology
Fracture Fixation, Internal - methods
Humans
Ligaments, Articular - surgery
Medical History Taking
Physical Examination
Physical Therapy Modalities
Postoperative Care
Radius Fractures - classification
Radius Fractures - epidemiology
Radius Fractures - surgery
Locking plate
Arthroplasty
Fracture
ORIF
Outcome
Radial head
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Summary:Radial head fractures are the most common fractures around the elbow. Because they are often accompanied by ligamentous injuries, we recommend considering them to be osteoligamentous injuries rather than simple fractures, even in undisplaced or minimally displaced fractures. Surgeons should always suspect and actively exclude concomitant ligament tears. The incidence of these associated injuries increases with greater severity of the radial head fracture. However, the standard Mason classification system does not adequately address this problem, and all attempts to establish a new classification system that provides concise treatment algorithms have failed. This article discusses the current treatment options and the current controversies in nonsurgical therapy, open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) and radial head replacement.
ISSN:1558-1969
DOI:10.1016/j.hcl.2015.06.003