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Case Reports
. 2022 Mar;12(3):91-94.
doi: 10.13107/jocr.2022.v12.i03.2732.

Concomitant Posteromedial Elbow Dislocation with Lateral Condyle Humerus Fracture in a 7 Years Old - A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature

Affiliations
Case Reports

Concomitant Posteromedial Elbow Dislocation with Lateral Condyle Humerus Fracture in a 7 Years Old - A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature

Deepak Jain et al. J Orthop Case Rep. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Traumatic dislocations of the elbow are a rare injury in children. Concomitant elbow dislocations and lateral condyle fractures are even rarer. There is a wide variability in the outcomes of these injuries as there is no consensus regarding its management. We report one such rare case in a 7-year-old child.

Case report: A 7-year-old child was brought to the emergency room with an alleged history of fall on outstretched hand sustaining injury to the left elbow. He was diagnosed with a posteromedial elbow dislocation, along with fracture of the lateral condyle. The patient underwent emergency reduction of the elbow under appropriate anesthesia following which there was persistence of varus and valgus instability, for which the lateral condyle was fixed with a standard pinning through a lateral approach with three Kirschner wires. The patient was immobilized for 6 weeks in a plaster, after which mobilization was started. At 3 months follow-up, the patient showed good functional outcome with full range of motion.

Conclusion: We report an exceedingly rare case of concomitant elbow dislocation and fracture of the lateral condyle in children. If emergent reduction of the dislocation and anatomic reduction of the fracture is achieved, satisfactory outcomes can be expected. Delayed recovery of the elbow motion is common, but full range of motion can be expected in the long run.

Keywords: Elbow; dislocation; lateral condyle; trauma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Nil

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
AP and lateral views of elbow joint showing posteromedial elbow dislocation with lateral condyle fracture.
Figure 2
Figure 2
AP and lateral views of elbow joint confirming concentricity of the reduction.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Intraoperative arthrogram view to confirm articular reduction and fixation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Anteroposterior and lateral views of elbow joint showing post-reduction and internal fixation with K-wires.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Radiographs of the elbow after K-wire removal showing satisfactory union and alignment.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Three-months, follow-up shows good functional outcome with full range of motion.

References

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