Treatment of Gartland type Ⅲ humeral supracondylar fractures in children through anterior traverse approach / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effects of minimally invasive incision in anterior traverse approach for Gartland type Ⅲ humeral supracondylar fractures in children.Methods Forty-two patients with Gartland type Ⅲ displaced supracondylar fractures of the humerus were treated through anterior traverse approach between January 2008 and April 2011.The fractures were fixed using two Kirschner wires from the medial and lateral epicondyles placed crossing each other.There were 31 males and 11 females,at age of 2.6-12 years (average 5.7 years).Three patients were with open fractures.Seven patients were combined with other fractures,four with radial nerve injury and one with median nerve injury,with time from injury to hospitalization for a range of 1 hour to 3 days.Of all the patients,30 patients were with fractures on the right side and 12 with fractures on the left side.All fractures were treated by minimally invasive incision in anterior traverse approach,when the neurovascular and muscular probing and repair were performed. Results Forty patients were followed up for 3-32 months ( average 13 months),which showed incision healing at one stage,with fracture healing time for 3-4 weeks (average 3.6 weeks).No cubitus varus or incision scar were found after operation.According to Flynn' s criteria,the effect of treatment three months after operation were excellent in 32 patients,good in four and fair in four,with excellence rate of 90％.ConclusionsThe minimally invasive incision of anterior traverse approach is characterized by minor trauma,small incision,nil scar and convenient neurovascular and muscular exploration and hence is a safe and reliable treatment for open reduction of Gartland type Ⅲ humeral supracondylar fractures in children.