Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Jan;58(1):62-9.
doi: 10.1097/01.ta.0000154058.20429.9c.

The results of open reduction and internal fixation in elderly patients with severe fractures of the distal humerus: a critical analysis of the results

Teng-Le Huang  1 , Fang-Yao Chiu, Tien-Yow Chuang, Tain-Hsiung Chen
Affiliations

The results of open reduction and internal fixation in elderly patients with severe fractures of the distal humerus: a critical analysis of the results

Teng-Le Huang et al. J Trauma. 2005 Jan.

Abstract

Background: We would like to define the results of treatment of open reduction and internal fixation in elderly patients with severe fractures of the distal humerus.

Methods: Between 1988 and 1998, 19 consecutive aged patients (older than 65 years old) with displaced comminuted articular fractures of the distal humerus were treated by open reduction and internal fixation with AO reconstruction plate. The age at the time of injury was 71.9 (65-79) years old. According to the AO classification, 15 patients had type C2 and four had type C3 injury. No patient had inflammatory arthritis of the elbow. The period of follow up is 97.2 (60-174) months.

Results: All fractures united with union time of 14.6 (11-20) weeks. No implant failure was found. In final follow up, the average flexion contracture was 16.8 degrees with a range of 0-40 degrees , the average active flexion was 128.4 degrees with a range of 115-140 degrees , the average pronation was 80 degrees with a range of 60-90 degrees , and the average supination was 78 degrees with a range of 60-90 degrees . According to the elbow motion classification of Cassebaum, eight (42.1%) patients were graded as very good elbow motion, eight (42.1%) as good, three (15.8%) as fair, and none as poor. The functional results showed that 15 (79%) patients had excellent results, four (21%) had good results, and none had fair or poor results, according to Mayo elbow performance score. The radiographic evaluation in final follow up showed that four patients (21%) had no osteoarthritic (OA) change, 11 (58%) had grade 1 OA, four (21%) had grade 2 OA, and none had grade 3 OA (the scale of Knirk and Jupiter). Fifteen (79%) patients reported no pain and four (21%) had mild pain. All patients were satisfied with their results. However, There were two early post-operative complications, including one (5.3%) superficial wound infection and one (5.3%) iatrogenic ulnar nerve injury.

Conclusions: Open reduction and internal fixation with appropriate surgical technique is effective in the treatment of displaced fractures of the distal humerus in elderly patients.

PubMed Disclaimer