Outcomes of Adolescent T-condylar Fractures: Kids Do Not Always Make You Look Good.
J Pediatr Orthop
; 43(9): e726-e733, 2023 Oct 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37573548
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Optimal treatment for pediatric and adolescent T-condylar fractures remains poorly understood. We sought to assess how functional outcomes and range of motion (ROM) after surgical fixation of T-condylar fractures are affected by patient and surgical factors.METHODS:
This is a retrospective cohort study of 52 patients with operatively treated T-condylar fractures at a single tertiary pediatric referral center between 2003 and 2021. All patients younger than 18 at the time of injury with a radiographically confirmed diagnosis were included.RESULTS:
Fifty-two T-condylar fractures were included, with a mean patient age of 12.9 years (SD, 2.8). The cohort was 65% male. Nine (19%) fractures were open, 46% (24/52) were AO type C2, and 33% (17/52) occurred in skeletally mature individuals. The surgical approach was through olecranon osteotomy in 29% (15/52) of patients, and fixation included anatomically specific plates and screws in 42% (22/52) of patients. In our cohort, 46% (24/52) achieved good outcomes based on Jarvis ROM criteria and 42% (22/52) achieved good to excellent results based on Roberts functional criteria. The median loss of ROM was 58 degrees at 6 weeks, 20 degrees at 3 and 6 months, and 8 degrees at 1 year postoperatively. We observed a complication rate of 54% (28/52). Patients undergoing adult-type plate fixation had better postoperative range of motion at 6 weeks (ROM loss 52 vs. 80 degrees, P =0.03) and 3 months (10 vs. 35 degrees P =0.004) compared with pediatric-type fixation and trended towards better functional outcomes. We did not identify significant differences in functional outcome scores or complication rates with respect to surgical approach or skeletal maturity.CONCLUSIONS:
Surgical fixation of pediatric and adolescent T-condylar fractures achieved a good to excellent functional outcome in only a minority of patients (46% Jarvis / 42% Roberts) with a high rate of postoperative complications (54%). Future work is needed to elucidate optimal treatment to minimize complications and achieve the best functional outcomes in these challenging fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level-IV.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Olécrano
/
Fraturas do Úmero
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Pediatr Orthop
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article