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
Review
. 2022 Nov 18:10:1046243.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.1046243. eCollection 2022.

Treatment of olecranon fractures in childhood: A systematic review

Fernando De Maio  1 , Giulio Gorgolini  1 , Alessandro Caterini  1 , Claudia Luciano  1 , Dario Covino  1 , Pasquale Farsetti  1
Affiliations
Review

Treatment of olecranon fractures in childhood: A systematic review

Fernando De Maio et al. Front Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Literature over the last 20 years provides evidence for a surgical treatment of displaced olecranon fractures in children, this is usually obtained with commonly proposed methods, although there is no general agreement about the best recommended technique.

Aim: Identifying the best surgical technique in displaced olecranon fractures in children and the role of associated fractures in the prognosis of these lesions, by analyzing the most relevant studies on this topic.

Methods: A literature search was performed in MEDLINE database and Scopus database. Articles reporting clinical outcomes of pediatric patients affected by olecranon fractures treated surgically were identified.

Results: The initial search produced 111 studies, with 8 fulfilling the eligibility criteria of our study. Selected articles (2002-2022) included 122 patients overall.

Conclusion: Displaced olecranon fractures, occurring during skeletal growth and surgically treated, generally have good results, although we are unable to recommend the best surgical treatment based on our review. In most cases, they are intra-articular fractures; thus, the overall goal is to get an anatomic reduction that in some cases cannot be obtained by percutaneous techniques. Tension band suture is the preferred device, although it is not recommended in adolescence for the high risk of fixation failure. Associated lesions may affect results.

Keywords: children; fracture; olecranon; pediatric; surgery; surgical procedures; surgical treament; upper limb.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of search process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Landin LA, Danielsson LG, Wattsgard C. Transient synovitis of the hip. Its incidence, epidemiology and relation to perthes’ disease. J Bone Joint Surg Br. (1987) 69(2):238–42. 10.1302/0301-620X.69B2.3818754 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andreacchio A, Canavese F, Villa R. The child elbow. Practical approach to traumatic and orthopedic disorders. Como, Italy: Timeo; (2020).
    1. Caterini R, Farsetti P, D'Arrigo C, Ippolito E. Fractures of the olecranon in children. Long-term follow-up of 39 cases. J Pediatr Orthop B. (2002) 11(4):320–8. 10.1097/00009957-200210000-00010 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Matthews J. Fractures of the olecranon in children. Injury. (1980) 12(3):207–12. 10.1016/0020-1383(80)90009-1 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Evans MC, Graham HK. Olecranon fractures in children: part 1: a clinical review: part 2: a new classification and management algorithm. J Pediatr Orthop. (1999) 19(5):559. 10.1097/00004694-199909000-00001 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources