Objective: Surgical treatment of lateral humeral condyle fractures with reduction and retention in order to prevent lasting malalignment, pseudarthrosis, and joint instability.
Indications: Absolute: fractures with a complete dislocation or those in which plaster-free control X-ray on day 4 shows a gap of > 2 mm. Relative: complete fractures of the lateral humeral condyle which demonstrate a dislocation < or = 2 mm on follow-up.
Contraindications: Incomplete, so-called hanging fractures of the lateral humeral condyle without notable secondary dislocation on follow-up.
Surgical technique: Open reduction of the lateral humeral condyle via a lateral approach to the elbow joint. In smaller children (< 5 years of age) fixation with Kirschner wires. In older children (> or = 5 years of age) or in cases requiring compression radial screw fixation is recommended. In all cases, suture repair of the periosteum is advisable.
Postoperative management: Long upper-arm plaster cast until wound healing is achieved. Subsequently, upper-arm plaster cast for 3-4 weeks postoperatively. Implants are removed following consolidation (confirmed by X-ray) after approximately 2-3 months. Routine physiotherapy is normally not required.
Results: From January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2006, 85 children with a median age of 6.1 years had lateral condyle fracture of the humerus treated. 47 patients underwent surgery. Of these, 31 were treated with a combination of screw and Kirschner wire fixation, 13 with a single screw, and in three cases, the fracture was fixed with Kirschner wires only. After a median of 8.6 weeks (range, 5.0-17.1 weeks), implants were removed. Median follow-up time was 6 months (range, 2-50 months). There were no late complications in this series (e.g., lack of consolidation, pseudarthrosis). In five cases, hyposensitivity of the skin above the proximal aspect of the radial bone was noted postoperatively. This problem was solved in all instances within the following 6 months. A telephone survey with a response rate of 87% (74 patients) was undertaken in September 2007. Three children noted a minimal deficiency in strength of the injured arm in comparison to the contralateral extremity. One of these children additionally stated a minor flexion deficit of the elbow already present at the last follow-up in the outpatient clinic, which showed no progress. None of the patients had to be referred back to the outpatient clinic because of persistent problems and/or unacceptable results.