Abstract
Purpose
Medial humeral condyle (MHC) fractures are easily overlooked in young patients. This can lead to delayed or incorrect diagnosis, resulting in delayed treatment, which is often associated with complications such as nonunion, osteonecrosis, fishtail deformity, and cubitus varus. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes in a cohort of paediatric patients who underwent delayed surgery for an untreated MHC fracture.
Methods
From January 2017 to December 2022, we conducted a retrospective study of paediatric patients who underwent delayed treatment for a MHC fracture. In all cases, the initial diagnosis was incorrect and surgery was performed at least one week after injury. Patients were divided into two groups based on the time between trauma and surgery: Group 1 consisted of individuals who underwent early delayed treatment within seven to 30 days of injury, while Group 2 consisted of those who underwent late delayed treatment more than one month after injury. Elbow function was assessed using the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS) and range of motion (ROM). The related literature was also reviewed (1970–2023).
Results
We enrolled 12 patients (7 boys, 5 girls); the average age at the time of surgery was 7.7 years (range, 2–14 years). Six patients underwent early delayed treatment (Group 1) while another six underwent late delayed treatment (Group 2). The mean time from injury to surgery was 17.7 days (range, 7–30 days) and 33.3 months (range, 70 days–9 years) in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Open reduction and internal fixation were performed via a medial approach in 11 patients, while one patient underwent closing wedge osteotomy and internal fixation to correct cubitus varus deformity. The mean duration of follow-up was 39.4 months (range, 8–60 months). The average MEPS score was 98.3 in Group 1 (range, 95–100) and 94.2 in Group 2 (range, 85–100; P = 0.21). The following postoperative complications were recorded: heterotopic ossification (n = 2), fishtail deformity (n = 1), MHC necrosis (n = 1), and reduction of elbow ROM (n = 1); one complication occurred in Group 1 and five occurred in Group 2 (P = 0.18). We reviewed nine related studies (n = 14 patients).
Conclusions
Diagnosis of MHC fractures can be challenging in paediatric patients, especially in younger individuals with incompletely ossified trochlea. Patients requiring surgery for delayed MHC fractures with an unossified trochlea should undergo ORIF to prevent progressive varus deformity. On the other hand, in patients with cubitus varus and an already ossified trochlea, distal humeral osteotomy should be considered instead of ORIF. This will minimize the potential negative impact on joint mobility.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Chenyan Lin in Medical Record Department for data collection.
Funding
Key Clinical Specialty Discipline Construction Program of Fuzhou, Fujian, P.R.C (20220104).
The Project of Fuzhou Science and Technology (2022-S-057).
Fujian Provincial Clinical Medical Research Center for First Aid and Rehabilitation in Orthopedics Trauma (2020Y2014).
Fuzhou Trauma Medical Center Project (2018080303).
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**nwu Wu and Tianlai Chen: design of the study, manuscript preparation, statistical analysis, revision, drafted the manuscript. **nwu Wu and Tianlai Chen have equal contribution.
Yunan Lu: statistical analysis and revision of the manuscript.
Federico Canavese: manuscript preparation, statistical analysis, revision.
Shunyou Chen: design of the study, surgery and general supervision of the research group.
All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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All procedures in the study involving human participants were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This was a retrospective study and approved by the hospital’s ethics committee (2023112).
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Wu, X., Chen, T., Canavese, F. et al. Outcomes in children with delayed surgical treatment of medial humeral condyle fractures. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 48, 2101–2112 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-024-06193-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-024-06193-6