Incidence of flexion-type supracondylar fractures at a single Australian level one Paediatric Trauma Centre

Minimally invasive techniques utilizing the "Joy Stick" method for managing irreducible flexion-type supracondylar fractures of the humerus in older children

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we investigated the efficacy of percutaneous poking reduction and Kirschner wire fixation in older children with irreducible supracondylar flexion-type fractures of the humerus.

METHODS

This retrospective investigation included 27 children, comprising 15 males and 12 females, aged between 10 years and 3 months to 14 years and 11 months, all diagnosed with a flexion-type supracondylar fracture of the humerus within one week of trauma. All patients underwent surgery under general anesthesia. Following unsuccessful manual reduction, percutaneous poking reduction with Kirschner wires was performed under C-arm fluoroscopy to achieve fracture reduction. Following successful reduction, three 2.0 mm Kirschner wires were inserted in a cross pattern to secure the fracture ends. Postoperatively, the elbow joint was immobilized in a functional position with a plaster cast for four weeks.

RESULTS

Follow-up in the outpatient department ranged from 9 to 36 months. Clinical functional assessment using Flynn's criteria rated 24 cases as excellent, 2 as good, and 1 as fair, yielding an overall efficacy of 96.3%. No cases of fracture re-displacement, fracture fragment necrosis, or other complications such as nonunion, iatrogenic nerve injury, myositis ossificans, or long-term elbow joint dysfunction were observed during the postoperative follow-up.

CONCLUSION

The percutaneous poking reduction and Kirschner wire fixation technique is a simple and reliable procedure for treating irreducible flexion-type supracondylar fractures of the humerus in older children, with minimal trauma. This technique offers substantial stability for the fracture and results in excellent long-term recovery of joint function.

Rotation of both X- and Y-axes is a predictive confounder of ulnar nerve injury and open reduction in pediatric lateral flexion supracondylar humeral fractures: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Rotation of the distal fragment often occurs in flexion-type supracondylar humerus fractures (SCHFs), potentially leading to ulnar nerve injury (UNI) and open reduction. We analyzed the correlation between the rotations and UNI or open reduction and then assessed the risk factors associated with these rotations.

METHODS

Data of Wilkins type III lateral flexion SCHFs were collected over a 10-year time period (1 January 2012 to 31 December 2021) in Children's Hospital of Fudan University Anhui Hospital. We defined the rotation of the distal fragment on the coordinate axis as two types, IIIA (X-axis rotation) and IIIB (the rotation of both X- and Y-axes) on X-ray radiography. Demographic data, the incidence of the two-type rotation, odds ratios (ORs) of UNI and open reduction, and risk factors of the rotation of both X- and Y-axes were analyzed.

RESULTS

Totally, 152 patients were found (50 with IIIA vs. 102 IIIB). The UNI rate was 13%, and the open reduction rate was 22%. The UNI rate of the IIIB was five-fold higher than that of the IIIA [OR, 5.143; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.414-23.125; p = 0.019], and the open reduction rate of the IIIB was nearly five-fold higher than that of the IIIA (OR, 4.729, 95%CI, 1.584-14.495; p = 0.003). In these two types, patients with UNI had a higher risk of open reduction than those without UNI (OR, 9.816; 95%CI, 3.503-27.508; p = 0.001). In the multiple regression analysis, a high level of fracture was identified as a risk factor for the rotation of both X- and Y-axes.

CONCLUSION

Type IIIB lateral flexion-type SCHFs have higher rates of UNI and open reduction, and a high level of fracture is a risk factor associated with this type.