Failure of the interosseous membrane to heal with immobilization, pinning of the distal radioulnar joint, and bipolar radial head replacement in a case of Essex-Lopresti injury: case report.

The authors report a case of a patient with complex radial head and ulnar shaft fractures with an associated tear of the interosseous membrane, which failed to heal despite open reduction internal fixation of the ulna, a bipolar radial head replacement, and cross pinning of the distal radioulnar joint. This case demonstrates that failure of the interosseous membrane can occur even in a properly replaced bipolar radial head with adequate immobilization of the forearm and pinning of the distal radioulnar joint. Copyright 2010 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.