A review of outcomes following surgical fixation of adult capitellum fractures : a six-year case series

Abstract

The aim of the study is to review post-operative outcomes following surgical fixation of capitellum fractures. This was a retrospective analysis of a 6 year period. We included fourteen patients with an average age of 56.6 years. We included Type 1 and Type 3 fractures as graded by the Bryan and Morrey classification. Post-surgical function was evaluated as per the Mayo Elbow Score. There were eleven Type 1 and three Type 3 fractures. All patients were treated with an ORIF. Our surgical approach was postero-lateral in five patients and antero-lateral in the remainder. Post-operatively more than half of our patients were mobilised within two weeks. Average time for radiological union was seven-weeks. Our average follow-up period was 34.5 months (range 6-75). The Mayo elbow score was excellent for seven, good for three and fair for another three of our patients. One subject could not be fully scored due to learning difficulties. We recommend ORIF for all Type 1 and Type 3 fractures so that early function can be regained. A single incision technique based either posteriorly or anteriorly with a screw in an anterior- to-posterior or posterior-to-anterior leads to good outcomes regardless of the type of hardware used.