Ulnar neuropathy at the elbow in 413 Japanese patients: An assessment of pathological elbow lesions and neurological severity.

BACKGROUND: Various pathological elbow lesions are often complicated with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE), although the precise pathology, incidence, and clinical and neurological features of these lesions have not been identified. We therefore investigated elbow pathology and neurological severity in Japanese patients with UNE. METHODS: The medical records of 457 Japanese UNE patients who were surgically treated among 6 hospitals were retrospectively examined. Eligible patients had UNE diagnosed by physical findings and nerve conduction studies according to the criteria of the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. The elbows were analyzed with regard to age, gender, occupation, pathology at the elbow, and severity of nerve palsy. RESULTS: A total of 398 patients with 413 UNE elbows of a mean age of 63 years (range: 15-87) met the inclusion criteria. UNE elbows were predominantly in male patients (69.0%). Overall, 310 elbows (75.1%) had 1 or more elbow lesions: 238 elbows (76.8%) had a single lesion and 72 elbows (23.3%) had 2 or more lesions. The most common lesion was primary elbow osteoarthritis (EOA) occurring in 54.5% of elbows, followed next by medial elbow ganglion in 8.5% and cubitus valgus in 6.5%. Most elbows with medial elbow ganglion or cubitus valgus were associated with EOA. Entrapment sites were at the cubital tunnel in 84.5%-91.3% of UNE elbows, regardless of an association with elbow lesion. The incidence of McGowan grade III lesion was 50.8% in elbows with primary EOA, which was higher than the 35.0% in elbows with no lesion. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that UNE had various isolated or combined elbow lesions. In Japanese UNE, primary or secondary EOA was found in 62.2% of cases and severe motor weakness was noted in 47.2%. The incidences of EOA and severe ulnar nerve palsy in the Japanese UNE are higher than those in Caucasians. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV; Prognostic-Investigating the effect of a patient characteristic on the outcome of a disease; Case series.

Differential onset patterns and causes of carpal tunnel syndrome after distal radius fracture: a retrospective study of 105 wrists.

BACKGROUND: It is well known that carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) can occur in a wide range of time periods after distal radius fracture (DRF). Few studies have evaluated in detail the relationship between fracture and electrophysiological finding characteristics and time to onset of CTS after DRF. To clarify the characteristics of CTS after DRF, we classified a large number of clinical cases based on the period from the injury to onset of CTS. These cases were analyzed retrospectively. METHODS: We reviewed 105 wrists with CTS following DRF. Patients' ages ranged from 13 to 89 years. These 105 wrists were divided into three groups according to the period of post-fracture onset of CTS. Twenty-eight wrists were classified into the acute onset group (when the symptoms of CTS occurred within 1 week after fracture). Forty-seven wrists were classified into the subacute onset group (when symptoms of CTS occurred from 1 to 12 weeks after fracture). The remaining 30 wrists were classified into the delayed onset group (when symptoms of CTS occurred more than 12 weeks after fracture). Deformity of the distal radius on X-ray films was evaluated and distal motor latency (DML) of the median nerve was recorded to compare values among these three groups. RESULTS: In the acute onset group, 68% had an AO C-type fracture and 46% were caused by a high-energy injury. The percentage of this fracture pattern and mechanism was significantly higher in the acute onset group than in the other groups (P < 0.05; Kruskal-Wallis test). In the subacute onset and delayed onset groups, 79% and 63% had an A-type fracture and more than 90% were caused by a low-energy injury. In the delayed onset group, the incidence of prolonged DML in the contralateral wrists was 71%, which was significantly higher than in the other two onset groups (P < 0.05; Kruskal- Wallis test). CONCLUSIONS: There were three onset patterns of CTS after DRF, and each CTS onset pattern had different etiologic mechanisms and different clinical features of CTS. In the acute onset group, a high-energy fracture pattern was associated with CTS. In the subacute and the delayed onset groups, lowenergy injury in elderly women was associated with CTS. Both deformity of the fracture and preexisting median nerve dysfunction were suggested as predisposing factor for CTS.

Long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes after open reduction for missed Monteggia fracture-dislocations in children.

BACKGROUND: There have been few reports on the long-term outcomes after the operative treatment of missed Monteggia fracture-dislocations in children. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes after open reduction for the treatment of a missed Monteggia fracture-dislocation. METHODS: We postoperatively investigated the clinical and radiographic outcomes for twenty-two children with a missed Monteggia fracture. The study group included fourteen boys and eight girls who had had a mean age of ten years (range, four years to fifteen years and eleven months) at the time of open reduction. Each patient had been managed with open reduction of the radial head combined with a posterior bending elongation ulnar osteotomy and anular ligament reconstruction. Clinical and radiographic outcomes were reviewed over a mean duration of follow-up of seven years. RESULTS: The postoperative Mayo Elbow Performance Index at the time of follow-up ranged from 65 to 100, with nineteen excellent, two good, one fair, and no poor results. The radial head remained in a completely reduced position in seventeen patients and was subluxated in five patients at the time of the latest follow-up. In four patients, osteoarthritic changes were observed at the radiohumeral joint. Radiographically, there were fifteen good, seven fair, and no poor results. A good radiographic result was obtained in all of the patients who had undergone open reduction within three years after the injury or before the age of twelve years, whereas a fair result was obtained in seven of the remaining eight patients. CONCLUSIONS: If open reduction for the treatment of a missed Monteggia fracture is performed when the patient is less than twelve years of age or within three years after the injury, good long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes can be expected.

A total wrist arthroplasty in rheumatoid arthritis: a case followed for 24 years.

Abstract We report a case of rheumatoid arthritis treated with a total wrist arthroplasty. A Meuli-type total wrist arthroplasty was performed on the left wrist in 1979. We have treated the patient's rheumatoid arthritis with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (Actarit 100 mg and Mijoribine 50 mg) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for a total of 26 years before and after the total wrist arthroplasty. The activity of the rheumatoid arthritis has been kept at a low level. The operated wrist was followed up for 24 years postoperatively. It is thought that the antirheumatic treatments over a long period have been very successful in preventing the destruction of the operated wrist.

Cubital tunnel syndrome associated with medial elbow Ganglia and osteoarthritis of the elbow.

BACKGROUND: Medial elbow ganglia have been reported in association with cubital tunnel syndrome. This lesion is thought to occur rarely and has not been emphasized in the literature. The purposes of the present study are to report our experience with this lesion in order to elucidate its prevalence as well as its clinical and radiographic features, to describe our operative findings, and to present the results of surgical treatment. METHODS: Four hundred and eighty-seven elbows in 472 patients were treated for cubital tunnel syndrome between 1980 and 1999. We performed a retrospective study of the thirty-eight patients who had a medial ganglion. All of the ganglia were excised, and the ulnar nerve was translocated subcutaneously. Thirty-two patients were followed for a mean of thirty-seven months. RESULTS: Medial elbow ganglion was the third most common causative factor associated with cubital tunnel syndrome, with an overall prevalence of 8%. Resting pain in the medial aspect of the elbow was reported by twenty-five of the thirty-eight patients, and a sudden onset of numbness in the ring and little fingers or of medial elbow pain without prior symptoms was reported by twenty-nine patients. The symptoms lasted two months or less in thirty-one patients. All ganglia originated from the medial aspect of the ulnohumeral joint, and radiographs of that joint showed degenerative changes in thirty-seven patients. At the time of follow-up, all measurements of sensory and motor function of the ulnar nerve had improved and no recurrence of nerve palsy was found. CONCLUSIONS: Although uncommon, medial elbow ganglia have a strong association with osteoarthritis of the elbow and can cause a relatively acute onset of cubital tunnel syndrome. A patient with cubital tunnel syndrome associated with elbow osteoarthritis who complains of medial elbow pain or severe numbness within two months after the onset of the syndrome should be strongly suspected of having a ganglion. Most ganglia are occult, and ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging can assist in the preoperative diagnosis. Careful excision of the ganglion performed concurrently with subcutaneous anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve can produce satisfactory results.