Postoperative complications of distal humeral fractures

Of 96 adult patients with a distal intercondylar, intraarticular fracture of the humerus treated operatively during a 10-year period, 27 patients suffered a local complication, while the total number of individual complications were 34. There were six postoperative infections, 12 neural injuries, and 16 fixation failures. Because of the complication, a reoperation was performed in 12 of the 27 patients. The final outcome was assessed at a reexamination after a mean follow-up period of 6 (2-10) years. Three patients had a permanent dysfunction of the ulnar nerve. In another 3 patients, failure of the fixation had resulted in an established nonunion of the distal humerus. It appeared that the possibilities of internal fixation in several cases had been overestimated.