Surgical Reconstruction of Missed Monteggia Lesions in Children

Background: Chronic Monteggia lesions in children may cause pain, deformity, decreased range of motion, and neurological symptoms. Numerous surgical techniques have been advocated to reconstruct long-standing Monteggia injures in efforts to maximize long-term upper limb function. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the clinical and radiographic results of a modified surgical technique for missed Monteggia fracture-dislocations. Methods: A retrospective evaluation of 52 patients who underwent surgical reconstruction of missed Monteggia fracture-dislocations at a tertiary pediatric hospital was performed. The median patient age at the time of surgery was 6.8 years, and the median time from injury to surgery was 12.9 weeks. Electronic medical records, including clinic notes, radiographic images, and operative reports, were reviewed for study analysis. Median clinical and radiographic follow-up was 19.1 months. Results: The median elbow range of motion improved from 108 degrees of flexion and 5 degrees short of full extension preoperatively to 140 degrees of flexion (P
Source: Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Trauma Upper Extremity Source Type: research