Goldenstien Trauma List 4 Flashcards
Contraindications to functional bracing of humeral shaft fractures (5)
- Massive soft tissue injury
- Bone loss
- Polytrauma
- Lack of patient cooperation
- Inability to obtain/maintain an acceptable reduction
- Brachial plexus injury
Indications for operative fixation of humeral shaft fractures
- Obesity
- Parkinson’s disease
- Dependence on ambulatory aids
- Non-compliant patient
- Polytrauma
- Inability to obtain/maintain an acceptable reduction
- Segmental fracture
- Segmental bone loss
- Open fracture
- Vascular injury
- Bilateral humeral shaft fractures
- Floating elbow
- Pathologic fracture
- Brachial plexus injury
- Severe soft tissue injury
- Ipsilateral displaced humeral articular fracture
- Transverse/short oblique fracture in a young athlete
Principles of ORIF of humeral shaft fractures (7)
- Identify and protect the radial nerve
- Lag screw fixation whenever possible
- Broad 4.5mm LCDC plate
- 8 cortices proximal and distal
- Address bone defects with:
- Acute shortening
- Autogenous ICBG
- Precontour plate to achieve compression on opposite side
- Maintain soft tissue attachments to bone fragments
Disadvantages of plate fixation of humeral shaft fractures (6)
- Extensile exposure
- Risk to radial nerve
- Poor fixation in osteopenic bone
- Soft tissue stripping leading to devascularisation of fragments
- Stress shielding
- Refracture after plate removal
Complications of intramedullary nailing of humeral shaft fractures (10)
Antegrade
- Rotator cuff injury
- Shoulder pain
- Prominent hardware
- Radial nerve injury
Retrograde
- Decreased elbow extension
- Heterotopic ossification
- Hardware migration
- Supracondylar humeral fracture
- Elbow pain
- Radial nerve injury
Indications for external fixation of humeral shaft fractures (6)
- Open fractures
- Infected nonunions
- Burn patients
- Segmental bone loss
- Vascular injury with acute repair
- Severe soft tissue injury
Complications of humeral shaft fractures
- Infection/osteomyelitis
- Malunion
- Nonunion
- Vascular injury
- Radial nerve injury
Risk factors for nonunion of humeral shaft fractures (5)
- High energy fracture
- Transverse fracture
- Segmental bone fracture/loss
- Inadequate fixation
- Medical comorbidities
Indications for radial nerve exploration with humeral shaft fractures (3)
- Open fractures with radial nerve palsy
- sharp Penetrating trauma with radial nerve palsy
- Distal 1/3 spiral fractures with palsy after closed reduction (?)
Indications for surgical treatment of medial epicondyle fractures (5)
- Ulnar nerve symptoms
- > 1 cm displacement
- intra-articular fragment entrapment of medial epicodyle
- Elbow instability
- Open fracture
- Symptomatic non-union
Complications of medial/lateral condyle fractures (5)
- Malunion
- Cubitus valgus – lateral
- Cubitus varus – medial
- Ulnar nerve injury
- Non-union
- Degenerative joint disease
- Instability
Classification of supracondylar humerus fractures (6)
- High extension
- High flexion
- Low extension
- Low flexion
- Abduction (superolateral → inferomedial fracture line)
- Adduction (superomedial → inferolateral fracture line
Classification of 2-column distal humerus fractures (Jupiter) (6)
- T-type
- High = proximal to or at level of olecranon fossa
- Low = transverse component at trochlea
- Y-type: oblique lines through columns
- H-type: trochlea is a free fragment
- Medial lambda: proximal fracture line exits medially
- Lateral lambda: proximal fracture line exits laterally
- Multiplane: T-type with a coronal fracture
Distal humerus fractures associated injuries (3)
- Open fracture
- Ipsilateral upper extremity fracture
- Ulnar nerve neurapraxia
Treatment options for distal humerus fractures (7)
- Splinting
- Bracing
- ORIF
- External fixation
- Distal humerus arthroplasty
- Total elbow arthroplasty
- Arthrodesis
Indications for nonoperative treatment of distal humerus fractures (3)
- Medically unstable elderly patients
- Premorbid limitations in arm function
- Some non-displaced fractures
Steps of ORIF of distal humerus fractures (4)
- Reconstruct the articular surface
- ICBG for defects as needed
- Rigid buttress support with dual plating to connect articular surface to shaft
- Intraoperative assessment of ROM and stability and to rule out hardware impingement
Principles of ORIF of distal humerus fractures (O’Driscoll) (8)
- Every screw in distal fragments should pass through a plate
- Engage a fragment on the opposite side fixed to the other plate
- Place as many screws as possible in the distal fragments
- Screws as long as possible
- Each screw should engage as many fragments as possible
- Screws should interdigitate to create a fixed-angle construct
- Plates should achieve compression at the supracondylar level
- Plates must be stiff/strong to resist failure prior to supracondylar union
Risk factors for nonunion of distal humerus fractures (6)
- Inadequate fixation
- Open fracture
- Comminution
- High energy trauma
- Infection
- Osteopenia/osteoporosis
Complications of olecranon osteotomy in distal humerus fracture treatment (5)
- Infection
- Nonunion
- Hardware failure
- Symptomatic hardware
- Limitations in forearm rotation (improperly placed hardware)
Indications for distal humerus replacement in distal humerus fractures (3)
- Younger patients (< 65)
- Severely comminuted fracture that cannot be reconstructed
- Non-surgical treatment is not an acceptable option
Indications for total elbow arthroplasty for distal humerus fracture (3)
- Elderly (>65) patients with severe articular comminution and osteoporotic bone
- Pre-existing inflammatory joint disease
- Low-demand patients
Prerequisites for distal humerus arthroplasty in distal humerus fractures (2)
- Ability to stabilize at least one of the columns
- Intact or repairable collateral ligaments
Indications for elbow arthrodesis for distal humerus fracture (5)
- Painful post-traumatic arthritis in a young labourer
- Severe bone or soft tissue loss
- Chronic, persistent infection
- Concomitant neurologic injury
- Failed TEA
Complications of intraarticular distal humerus fractures
- Stiffness (#1)
- Heterotopic ossification
- Ulnar nerve injury
- Infection
- Failure of fixation
- Post-traumatic arthritis
- Olecranon non-union
- Symptomatic hardware
- Nonunion
Olecranon fracture classification (Morrey) (4)
- Type I: undisplaced
- Type IIA: displaced, non-comminuted
- Type IIB: displaced, comminuted
- Type III: unstable, extension into coronoid
Indications for surgical treatment of olecranon fractures (2)
- Articular displacement > 2 mm
- Disrupted extensor mechanism
Options for surgical treatment of olecranon fractures (5)
- Excision and triceps advancement
- Tension-band fixation
- Screw fixation
- Screw and wire fixation
- Plate fixation
Complications of olecranon fractures (6)
- Symptomatic hardware (#1)
- Decreased range of motion
- Arthritis
- Ulnar nerve neurapraxia
- Instability
- Failure of fixation
radial head Mason Classification (Modified by Hotchkiss and Broberg-Morrey)
- Type I: Nondisplaced or minimally displaced (<2mm), no mechanical block to rotation
- Type II: Displaced >2mm or angulated, possible mechanical block to forearm rotation
- Type III:Comminuted and displaced, mechanical block to motion
- Type IV: Radial head fracture with associated elbow dislocation
Prerequisites for excision of the radial head for fracture (4)
- Unreconstructible fracture
- No interosseous membrane disruption
- Stable DRUJ
- No elbow instability
Advantages of radial head arthroplasty vs. excision for radial head fracture (3)
- Provides valgus stability
- Prevents radial shortening/wrist pain
- Provides appropriate load transfer at the elbow
Outcomes of metal radial head prostheses compared to silicone implants (4)
- Similar ROM
- Better functional scores
- Decreased radial shortening/wrist pain
- Decreased elbow arthritis
Complications of radial head fractures (8)
- Stiffness
- PIN injury
- Longitudinal instability with wrist pain
- Post-traumatic arthritis
- Instability
- Pain
- Synovitis (silastic implants)
Classification of capitellum fractures (Bryan and Morrey) (4)
- Type I: complete coronal fracture including subchondral bone (Hahn-Steinthal)
- Type II: coronal shear of articular cartilage (Kocher-Lorenz)
- Type III: comminuted
- Type IV: (McKee modification) capitellum with extension into trochlea
Complications of capitellum fractures (4)
- Nonunion
- Heterotopic ossification
- AVN
- Post-traumatic arthritis
Classification of coronoid fractures (Regan and Morrey) (3)
- Type I: tip fracture
- Type II: < 50% of height
- Type III: > 50% of height
Stages of injury in elbow dislocation (3)
Posterolateral rotatory subluxation
- LUCL
- Posterolateral capsule
- Radial collateral ligament
Perched/incomplete dislocation
- With anterior capsule injury
Complete dislocation
- With MCL injury
Elbow dislocation associated injuries (8)
- Radial head fracture
- Coronoid fracture
- Osteochondral fractures
- Epicondyle fractures
- LUCL/MCL injury
- Neurologic injury (ulnar > median)
- Vascular injury
- Ipsilateral wrist injury
Component of a terrible triad elbow injury (3)
- Elbow dislocation
- Coronoid fracture
- Radial head fracture