Clinical Features and Treatment of Radial Injury:

Elbow fracture is a fracture of the radial head with injury to the distal radioulnar joint and tearing of the interosseous membrane proximally.

Mechanism of Injury

A heavy fall on the outstretched hands.

Clinical Features

• Pain and swelling in the radial head region.
• Pain in the region of the distal radioulnar joint should alert of a possibility.
• Pain in the wrist could be due to ulnar carpal impingement.
• Pain in the elbow could be due to radiocapitellar impingement.

Radiograph

It is a relatively rare fracture and in order to avoid missing it, radiograph of the forearm and wrist joint should be taken in all cases of fracture of head of the radius.

Treatment

• Open reduction and internal fixation of the proximal radial fracture and pinning of the inferior radioulnar joint is the treatment method of choice.
• If there is disruption of distal radioulnar joint and if the radial head fracture is grossly communited then, excision head of the radius is done.
• This is likely to aggravate the proximal migration of the radius.
• Hence, if fracture radial head needs excision, it has to be replaced by silastic prosthesis.

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