Fractures in the Medial Epicondyle in Children: A Plea for Conservatism

摘要: Introduction: Controversy still exists over conservative or surgical treatment for a displaced medial epicondyle fracture. This study retrospectively reviews the prognos 巴 s after conservative treatm 巴 nt using a cast immobilization, and the prognoses after surgery, according to the degree of the fracture displacement in children. Methods: 112 consecutive cases of a medial humeral epicondyle fracture in children were studied. The Patients were divided into three groups. Group 1 consisted of 84 pati 巴 nts with an isolated medial epicondyle injury treated with cast immobilization. Group 2 consisted of 16 patients with medial epicondyle fragments that were displaced more than 5 mm and treated with open reduction and internal fixation. Group 3 consisted of 12 pati 巴 nts who had associated injuries such as elbow dislocation and radial neck fracture. Cases wer 巴 followed for a minimum of 9 months. At final review, each patient underwent a clinical evaluation. Results: Th 巴 84 patients in Group 1 were subdivided into Group 1 A and Group lB. 1n Group 1 A, there w 巴 re 63 patients with less than 5 mm displacement; 60 of them hacl goocl results ancl 3 hacl fair results. 1n Group 1B; there were 21 patients with 5 mm or 1110r 巴 c1isplacem 巴 nt; 17 of them hacl goocl results while th 巴 remaincler had fair or poor results. 1n Group 2, 13 of th 巴 16 patients had goocl results, ancl the others hacl fair or poor results. 1n Group 3, 7 of the 12 hacl goocl results, and the others had fair and poor results.Conclusion: There was no statistical difference in the outcomes of isolated medial epicondyle fractures which had more than 5 111111 displacement whether it …