Fracture of the Supracondylar Process in a Child: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

JBJS Case Connect. 2019 Dec;9(4):e0396. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.CC.18.00396.

Abstract

Case: A 5-year-9-month-old boy sustained a fracture of the supracondylar process of the distal humerus. The fracture healed with cast immobilization and with no neurovascular complications. Magnetic resonance imaging showed the medial nerve and the brachial artery to be located under the ligament of Struthers that extended from the supracondylar process to the medial epicondyle.

Conclusions: Fracture of the supracondylar process of the humerus in children is rare and easy to misdiagnose, but once discovered, the fracture can be treated successfully with cast immobilization and without compromise to the neurovascular structures passing under the ligament of Struthers.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Elbow Injuries*
  • Elbow Joint / diagnostic imaging
  • Humans
  • Humeral Fractures / diagnostic imaging*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Radiography