Dislocations of the elbow - An instructional review

Tranexamic Acid and Heterotopic Ossification Formation Following Elbow Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES

This study investigates whether the intraoperative administration of intravenous tranexamic acid (TXA), known for its hemostatic and potential anti-inflammatory properties, affects the incidence of heterotopic ossification (HO) following surgery for elbow fracture dislocations.

METHODS

DESIGN

Prospective, randomized clinical trial.

SETTING

Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Unit.

PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA

Patients aged 18-75 years with acute traumatic elbow fracture dislocations requiring surgical management from June 1, 2016, to October 31, 2022, were eligible. Inclusion criteria included traumatic nonpathological elbow fracture dislocations. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either intraoperative TXA or no additional treatment.

OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS

The primary outcome was the occurrence of HO, defined by new bone formation observed in radiographic exams during postoperative follow-ups. Secondary outcomes included the presence of clinically relevant HO, reoperation rate due to symptomatic HO, and time to HO reoperation. Compared were patients who received TXA with controls.

RESULTS

Out of 47 patients with elbow fracture dislocations who completed the follow-up, 23 (49%) received TXA prophylaxis while 24 (51%) were controls. The average age was 51.2 years (range, 18-77 years) with a mean follow-up of 12.9 months (range, 6.11-34.2). In the TXA group, 11 (47.8%) were men and 12 (52.2%) were women, while in the control group, 14 (58.3%) were men and 10 (41.7%) were women. HO was observed in 30% of patients, primarily around the radial head (71%). In this study, 43.5% of patients in the TXA group developed HO compared with 16.7% in the control group. The differences in HO formation suggest a potentially higher risk in the TXA group (relative risk = 2.6, 95% 1.0 to 8.5, P = 0.06). Clinically relevant HO led to reoperation in 2 of 10 (20%) patients in the TXA group, while none of the patients in the control group required reoperation, resulting in an overall reoperation rate of 14.3% in the study cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

This prospective trial identified a possible increased risk of HO formation in patients receiving TXA, however, with the sample size available a statistically significant difference was unable to be detected. These findings highlight the need for further research emphasizing larger prospective comparative studies to assess TXA's impact on HO. A deeper understanding of this relationship will enable clinicians to balance TXA's potential risks and benefits more effectively, optimizing outcomes in orthopedic surgery.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Prevalence of Osteochondral Lesions on Magnetic Resonance Imaging Following Simple Elbow Dislocations

Objective: Literature regarding osteochondral lesions in patients following elbow dislocation is scarce. The aim of this study was to examine osteochondral lesions on MRI in patients following simple elbow dislocations and evaluate inter-rater reliability between radiologists and orthopedic surgeons at different levels of experience. Methods: In this retrospective, single-center study, 72 MRIs of patients following simple elbow dislocations were evaluated. Ligamentous and osteochondral injuries were evaluated by a junior and senior radiologist and a junior and senior orthopedic surgeon. Osteochondral lesions were classified according to the Anderson classification, and their distribution was assessed. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using Cohen's Kappa (95% CI) and Fleiss' Kappa (95% CI). Results: The mean time from injury to MRI was 6.92 ± 4.3 days, and the mean patient age was 42.4 ± 16.0 years. A total of 84.5% of patients had a lateral collateral ligament tear, and 69.0% had a medial collateral ligament tear. Osteochondral lesions were found in 27.8% to 63.9% of cases. According to the senior orthopedic surgeon, 100% were first-grade lesions, whereas the senior radiologist classified 63.2% as first-grade, 26.3% as second-grade, and 5.3% as third- and fourth-grade lesions. Inter-rater reliability was fair to moderate for ligamentous injuries and fair for osteochondral lesions (Fleiss Kappa 0.25 [0.15-0.34]). Localization of the lesions differed depending on the examiner. For all examiners, osteochondral lesions of the lateral column (radial head and capitulum) were most common, with 57.8-66.7% of all lesions. Inter-rater reliability was moderate for lesions in the medial column (Fleiss Kappa 0.51 [0.41-0.6]) and fair for lesions in the lateral column (Fleiss Kappa 0.34 [0.24-0.43]). Conclusions: Osteochondral lesions following simple elbow dislocations are common; however, in contrast to the current literature, high-grade lesions seem to be relatively rare. Overall inter-rater reliability between radiologists and surgeons, as well as within surgeons, was only moderate to fair regarding ligament and osteochondral lesions.

COMPLICATIONS AFTER SURGICAL TREATMENT OF JUPITER'S MONTEGGIA TYPE II FRACTURES

Monteggia fracture-dislocations are rare injuries, affecting about 2-5% of the population. Jesse Jupiter subdivided Bado's Type II fractures into four types, all of which presented an associated radial head fracture. Associated chondral and ligament injuries can evolve with postoperative complications.

Objective

To evaluate the incidence of complications and risk factors that may influence the postoperative outcomes of Jupiter lesions.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted with surgically treated patients. The characteristics related to fractures and surgical approaches were evaluated and these variables were correlated with radiographic and functional postoperative complications.

Results

A total of 15 patients were evaluated, mostly men and with a higher prevalence of Types IIA and IID. The most frequent complications were heterotopic ossification and osteolysis around the radial head prosthesis. Postoperative instability occurred only in the lateral collateral ligament. According to MEPS functional score, 53% of the patients evolved with unfavorable outcomes.

Conclusion

The studied cases evolved with high rates of postoperative complications, mainly in Jupiter's Type IID fractures and associated coronoid fractures. Level of Evidence III, Therapeutic Study.

Irreducible posterolateral elbow dislocation: A case report

Elbow dislocations are very common, particularly in the posterolateral variety. Closed reduction is usually easy. However, an irreducible elbow dislocation without associated fracture is rare. We report the case of a 21-year-old patient who presented with an isolated posterolateral irreducible elbow dislocation. Open reduction revealed the buttonhole radial head in the capsule and the complex ligaments. A significant protrusion of the radial head associated with a closed reduction failure is highly suspicious of an irreducible dislocation.

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Irreducible elbow dislocation without associated fracture is extremely rare.

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A buttonhole aspect of radial head is characteristic.

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An enormous radial head protrusion with a reduction failure made the diagnosis.

Epidemiological Characteristics of Major Joints Fracture-Dislocations

Objective

To describe the epidemiological features of major joints fracture‐dislocations between 2015 and 2019.

Methods

This retrospective study enrolled patients with majorintra‐articular fracture‐dislocations who were treated in the third hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2015 to December 2019. A total of 582 patients (389 [66.84%] males and 193 [33.16%] females) were identified. The distribution characteristics of intra‐articular fracture‐dislocations involving shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle joints were included. The potential associations between fractures with concomitant dislocations and related factors, such as age, gender and sites were explored.

Results

There were 92 cases (15.81%) of shoulder joints, 67 cases (11.51%) of elbow joints, 45 cases (7.73%) of wrist joints, 181 cases (31.10%) of hip joints, 42 cases (7.22%) of knee joints, and 155 cases (26.63%) of ankle joints. The overall male‐to‐female ratio was 2.02:1.The highest proportion age group of the six types intra‐articular fracture‐dislocations included the ages 25‐34 years. For males, the highest proportion age group was 25‐34 years, for females, it was 45–54 years. For male patients, hip was the most common, accounted for 35.48%, but ankle fracture‐dislocation was the most common for females, accounted for 30.57%. The highest proportion age group of shoulder fracture‐dislocation included the ages 55‐64 years(22.83%), with a male to female ratio of 1.24:1. While the age group with the highest risk of elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle fracture‐ dislocation was 25‐34 years (28.36%) with a male to female ratio of 2.19:1, 25‐34 years (31.11%) with a male to female ratio of 8:1, 45‐54 years (27.07%) with a male to female ratio of 3.21:1, 15‐24 years (45.24%) with a male to female ratio of 0.75:1, 25‐44 years (43.87%) with a male to female ratio of 1.63:1, respectively. The most common site of joint fracture‐dislocation in different age groups was corresponding as follows, 0‐14 years(elbow), 15‐24 years(knee), 25‐34 years(hip), 35‐44 years(hip), 45‐54 years(hip), 55‐64 years(ankle), 65‐74 years(shoulder), ≥75 years(shoulder).

Conclusion

Major joints fracture‐dislocations were most common in the hip and the least common in the knee, and there were more men than women. Hip was the most common affected joint in men while ankle in women. Age and sex factors can significantly affect the location of intra articular fracture and dislocation. The current study could aid orthopaedic surgeons in a better understanding of this injury and help to implement targeted preventive measures.