In patients with an elbow fracture dislocation the incidence of radial head fracture is 36%, where as coronoid process fractures occur in 13%, and olecranon fractures in 4% of patients. Combination of all these fractures with a 'terrible triad' is rarely reported in the literature. We describe a 40 year old lady involved in a polytrauma who had head injury, pnuemothorax and an open fracture dis...

In the linked study (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2428), Appelboam and colleagues extend this work with the results of the SWEET study—a multicentre prospective diagnostic cohort study that investigates a simple clinical test (extension of the supine elbow) for detecting elbow fracture.10 The authors assessed 1740 adults and children with acute elbow injury and found that inability to extend the elbow full...

There are three main patterns of complex elbow instability: posterolateral (terrible triad), varus posteromedial (anteromedial coronoid fracture with lateral collateral ligament complex disruption), and trans-olecranon fracture dislocations.Radial head fractures, in the setting of complex elbow instability, often require internal fixation or arthroplasty; the outcome of radial head replacement ...

A case of olecranon fracture treated with tension band wiring presented to us symptoms ulnar nerve injury. The was explored and injury identified between two heads flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) distal the level cubital tunnel. injured repaired using sural grafts patient improved as witnessed on regular follow-up.

Compression and absolute stability are important in the management of intra-articular fractures. We compared tension band wiring with plate fixation for the treatment of fractures of the olecranon by measuring compression within the fracture. Identical transverse fractures were created in models of the ulna. Tension band wires were applied to ten fractures and ten were fixed with Acumed plates....

OBJECTIVE To determine whether full elbow extension as assessed by the elbow extension test can be used in routine clinical practice to rule out bony injury in patients presenting with elbow injury. DESIGN Adults: multicentre prospective interventional validation study in secondary care. Children: multicentre prospective observational study in secondary care. SETTING Five emergency departme...

Simultaneous ipsilateral distal and proximal fractures of the forearm are rare [1-3]. There have been case reports describing an olecranon fracture associated with an ipsilateral distal radius epiphyseal injury[1], a Monteggia lesion with an associated ipsilateral distal radius epiphyseal injury[4] or associated with ipsilateral distal radius and ulna metaphyseal fractures[5, 6]. Furthermore, t...

BACKGROUND Displaced olecranon fractures after a simple fall are common in elderly patients. This patient group often has multiple medical co-morbidities and low functional demands. Standard treatment for these fractures has been operative fixation, using either wires or a plate. Recent case series suggest that such injuries can be managed without surgery with good functional outcomes. There ha...