Arthrography in the posttraumatic elbow in children

Abstract

Radiographic interpretation of children's elbows after trauma can be perplexing because of the large proportion of unossified cartilage relative to bone. The numbers of ossification centers appearing at different ages also complicate the interpretation. This study summarizes arthrographic experience in 10 children who sustained elbow trauma. Nine children had arthrography performed 5-24 months after injury. Seven patients had supracondylar or condylar fractures, one patient had a proximal radial fracture, and two patients had suspected osteochondritis dissecans. Arthrography was useful in delineating the integrity of the joint surfaces and in identifying healed rotated fracture components, cartilaginous spurs, nonunion of unossified fragments, and the normal physis. A small scarred joint and intraarticular loose bodies also were demonstrated. Elbow arthrography, though clearly not indicated for all pediatric elbow trauma, can contribute valuable information in the complex elbow fracture.