CORR Insights^®: Good Functional Recovery of Complex Elbow Dislocations Treated With Hinged External Fixation: A Multicenter Prospective Study

Excerpt

Complex fracture dislocations of the elbow present a difficult clinical situation and their treatment poses a number of problems. Conservative treatment involving prolonged immobilization will often lead to a stiff, paradoxically unstable, and painful joint. Therefore, surgical intervention in a patient who is fit for surgery is the accepted treatment option. Diagnosis should include meticulous neurovascular examination and adequate imaging; however, standard radiographs may be insufficient, and CT scanning with 3-D reconstructions can yield additional information. The timing of surgery is critical. In general, after initial reduction, definitive stabilization surgery should be considered semielective and scheduled accordingly because of its complexity, unless there is neurovascular compromise to the limb. …