ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Floating elbows are rare pathologies that cause a number of problems to manage. The current treatment tendency is surgical. The orthopedic treatment is a good management option when the technical plateau is limited. METHODS: We performed an 18-month prospective study that included patients with floating elbows. Two treatment methods were used and chosen following predefined indication criteria. The final evaluation was made on average 10 months (minimum 6 and maximum 18 months) according to the functional classification of the mayo clinic. RESULTS: In 18 months, we treated 8 patients with floating elbow, who were all victims of traffic accidents. On an anatomo-clinical level, real floating elbows accounted for 37.5% of all cases, the rest were derived pathologies. Among these derived pathologies, the association of diaphyseal fracture of the humerus with a lesion of one or both forearm bones represented 50% of the cases. Regarding skin condition, open fractures were present in 37.5% of all patients. At the final evaluation we obtained two unsatisfactory results in patient treated surgically. No orthopedic treatment achieved an excellent final result, but they ranged between good and fair. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the orthopedic treatment maintains its position as valid treatment for floating elbows. Nevertheless it is important to master the technique and recognize its limits.
INTRODUCTION: Les coudes flottants sont des pathologies rares qui posent assez de problèmes de prise en charge. La tendance actuelle du traitement est celle de la chirurgie mais le traitement orthopédique est un bon moyen quand on a un plateau technique limité. MATÉRIEL ET MÉTHODE: Nous avons fait une étude prospective de 18 mois qui consistait à faire la prise en charge des patients présentant des coudes flottants. Deux méthodes de traitement ont été utilisées avec des critères d'indication préalablement définis. L'évaluation définitive s'est faite en moyenne en 10 mois avec des extrêmes de 6 et 18 mois et selon la classification fonctionnelle de mayo clinic. RÉSULTATS: En 18 mois, nous avons traité 8 patients présentant des coudes flottants qui étaient tous des victimes d'accidents de circulation. Sur le plan anatomopathologique, les coudes flottants vrais représentaient 37,50% les autres étaient des dérivées. Parmi ces dérivées, l'association de la diaphyse humérale à l'un ou les deux os de l'avant bras représentait 50%. Par rapport à l'état cutané, 37,50% des patients avaient de fractures ouvertes au niveau de l'avant bras. A l'évaluation finale nous avons obtenu 2 mauvais résultats issus du traitement chirurgical, les autres étant des bons et moyens résultats. CONCLUSION: Cette étude montre à suffisance que le traitement orthopédique garde sa place dans le traitement des coudes flottants, mais il faut avoir la maitrise de la technique et connaître ses limites.
ABSTRACT
During the period from 1998 to 1999, civil wars broke out in number of west African countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Bissau. Due to the situation in surrounding countries, Guinea Conakry was forced to accept nearly 650000 refugees whose presence represented a major risk for the socio-political stability of the country. International organizations and NGOs condemned the atrocities inflicted on civilian populations by the children serving as soldiers in the RUF rebels organizations of Sierra Leone and Liberia. These attacks included murders, gang rapes, abduction of children and young people, and mutilation of extremities of people of all ages ranging from infants to elderly. Treatment of mutilation victims requires the availability of facilities for surgical treatment and prosthetic fitting in Guinea Conakry. The humanitarian action division of the French Foreign Affairs Department and the NGO Handicap International decided to provide specialized training in the management of mutilation injuries to surgical groups in hospitals of Guinea and Sierra Leone. The program consisted in a workshop on reconstructive surgery for war-related injuries to allow optimal prosthetic fitting for reinsertion of mutilation victims into society.
