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. 2014;4(4):e99.
doi: 10.2106/JBJS.CC.N.00063.

Osteomyelitis as a Late Complication of Percutaneous Pinning of a Supracondylar Fracture of the Distal Part of the Humerus

Nicholas Pulos  1 , Robert B Carrigan  2
Affiliations

Osteomyelitis as a Late Complication of Percutaneous Pinning of a Supracondylar Fracture of the Distal Part of the Humerus

Nicholas Pulos et al. JBJS Case Connect. 2014.

Abstract

Case: We report a case of an eleven-year-old boy who presented to our clinic with a draining wound from the left elbow. He had a history of a left closed supracondylar humeral fracture that had been treated with closed reduction and percutaneous pinning at five years of age, and he subsequently developed late-onset osteomyelitis. The patient was successfully treated with surgical irrigation and debridement, followed by intravenous and oral antibiotics.

Conclusion: Dormant osteomyelitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis for any child who presents with elbow symptoms with a prior history of a supracondylar humeral fracture that has been treated with closed reduction and percutaneous pinning.

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