Conor F McCarthy1,2, James C Kyriakedes3, R Justin Mistovich3. 1. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. 2. Division of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio. 3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
Abstract
CASE: A 30-month-old boy with a displaced medial condyle fracture and no history of an elbow dislocation was found to have an entrapped median nerve. CONCLUSION: Entrapment of the median nerve is a potential consequence of a displaced medial condyle fracture, even when there are no neurologic deficits on presentation. This provides additional support for open reduction of these fractures rather than percutaneous treatment or nonoperative management. Prompt identification and extraction of an interposed ulnar or median nerve is imperative to prevent the catastrophic consequences of an upper-extremity nerve palsy in children, as well as to optimize fracture-healing and elbow growth and development.
CASE: A 30-month-old boy with a displaced medial condyle fracture and no history of an elbow dislocation was found to have an entrapped median nerve. CONCLUSION: Entrapment of the median nerve is a potential consequence of a displaced medial condyle fracture, even when there are no neurologic deficits on presentation. This provides additional support for open reduction of these fractures rather than percutaneous treatment or nonoperative management. Prompt identification and extraction of an interposed ulnar or median nerve is imperative to prevent the catastrophic consequences of an upper-extremity nerve palsy in children, as well as to optimize fracture-healing and elbow growth and development.
Authors: Nunzio Catena; Giovanni Luigi Di Gennaro; Andrea Jester; Sergio Martínez-Alvarez; Eva Pontén; Francisco Soldado; Christina Steiger; Jiahui Choong; Paola Zarantonello; Sebastian Farr Journal: J Child Orthop Date: 2021-04-19 Impact factor: 1.548