Surgical treatment of radial head fractures

Objective:To study therapeutic effects of surgical methods for the treatment of radial head fractures.Methods:Among 26 patients who were treated from 1998 to 2004,20 were male and 6 were female,ranging in age from 20 to 68 years,meanly 31 years.According to Mason and Johnston's classification:4 patients were Type Ⅰ,6 patients were Type Ⅱ and 16 were Type Ⅲ.All the patients of Type Ⅰ were treated with plaster external fixation.Two patients of Type Ⅱ were treated with conservative method,3 were treated with open reduction and Kirschner pin fixation,and 1 was treated with screw fixation.All the patients of Type Ⅲ were treated with open reduction and internal fixation.In the operation,related medial collateral ligament and coronary process injuries were repaired.Results:All the patients were followed up from 3 months to 6 years,with an average of 28.6 months.According to Morrey and Broberg score standard,the mean score of this group was 85(from 40 to 100).In the study,8 patients obtained excellent results,10 good,6 fair and 2 bad.Conclusion:Paying attention to not only the reduction and fixation of radial head,but also the treatment of injuries of ligament and coronary process is the key to improve therapeutic effects of radial head fracture.