Management and outcomes of capitellum fractures in adolescents: A case series and review of the literature
Abstract
Introduction and importance Shear capitellum fractures (CFs) are rare, particularly in pediatric populations, and pose significant diagnostic challenges due to the high cartilaginous content of the developing elbow. These injuries often involve small osteochondral fragments that may escape detection on standard radiographs, requiring a high index of clinical suspicion. Timely and appropriate surgical management is crucial to prevent long-term complications. This case series presents the outcomes of four adolescents with displaced CFs treated by ORIF using Kirschner wires (K-wires) in three cases and a spongy screws in one case, highlighting the reliability of K-wires fixation, especially in resource-limited settings. Case presentation We retrospectively reviewed four adolescents (3 boys, 1 girl; mean age: 13.5 years) treated for displaced CFs at our Pediatric Emergency Department between 2019 and 2024. Three injuries followed falls on an extended elbow and one on a flexed elbow. One case was associated with an ipsilateral elbow dislocation. Fractures were classified as Type I (two cases) and Type IV (two cases). ORIF was performed using K-wires (three cases) or a spongy screw (one case) via lateral (two cases) or posterolateral (two cases) approaches. Postoperative care included four weeks of immobilization in 90° flexion using a posterior brachio-antebrachial (BAB) splint, followed by progressive mobilization and physiotherapy in two cases. At a mean follow-up of 18 months…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study
- A new aging measure captures morbidity and mortality risk across diverse subpopulations from NHANES IV: A cohort study
- Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study
- Are noise and air pollution related to the incidence of dementia? A cohort study in London, England
- Long COVID symptoms and duration in SARS-CoV-2 positive children — a nationwide cohort study
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.