Detection and treatment of traumatic separation of the distal humeral epiphysis in a neonate: a case report.

ABSTRACT

Traumatic separation of the distal humeral epiphysis during delivery is an uncommon injury in neonates and usually mimics elbow dislocation. Emergency medicine physicians and orthopedic surgeons must have a high index of suspicion for distal humeral epiphysis separation when evaluating elbow trauma in neonates. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is an important diagnostic tool for this purpose. We report a case in which fracture-separation of the distal humeral epiphysis in a newborn was diagnosed with the help of ultrasonography and MRI scan, which provided a clear delineation of the injury.