Treatment of Periarticular Fracture of Elbow with Hinged External Fixator

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the result of the treatment with external fixator and early ROM exercise to prevent the stiffness and contracture of the elbow in unstable elbow injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From Jan. 1997 to Dec. 2001, ten patients of unstable elbow injury treated with hinged external fixator and early ROM exercise were evaluated. The age was average 37 years. The patients were followed at least 1 years and motorcycle injury (4 cases) was most common. Nine cases were comminuted fractures and one case was fractures with dislocation. We estimated the result of the treatment with Mayo elbow performance index. RESULTS: ROM exercise started in average 2 days after operation. Two cases were treated by ilizarov and eight cases treated by elbow distracter modified by the author. The result of the treatment was estimated as following excellent in two, good in three cases, fair in eight cases, and poor in two case. CONCLUSION: There were satisfactory results in patients treated with external fixation with early ROM exercise, whose injuries had difficulty in being fixed internally. The authors recommend hinged external fixation and early ROM exercise to prevent postoperative stiffness & contracture of elbow joint in this circumference.