Analysis of the results of surgical and conservative treatment of humeral condyle fractures

Abstract

Introduction Fractures of the humeral condyle make up 0.5-5.0 % of all fractures and about 30.0 % of adult elbow fractures. Complications develop in 18.0-85.0 % of cases and 29.9 % of the injured have signs of disability, giving these fractures a reputation of injuries with a poor prognosis for functional recovery. Objective To improve the treatment results of the injured with humeral condyle fractures by developing differential treatment tactics taking into account the biomechanical characteristics of the injured anatomical structures. Material and methods The authors analyzed the results of conservative and surgical treatment of 194 patients with fractures of the humeral condyle. The average age of the patients was 50.2 years (range from 19 to 89 years); there were 75 (38.7 %) males and 119 (61.3 %) females. Based on the method of treatment, the patients were divided into 2 groups, each group included a control subgroup and the results of treatment were analyzed. The main subgroup of the clinical group 1 (surgical treatment) consisted of 99 patients with an average age of 49.1 years (range from 19 to 85 years). There were 49 (49.5 %) men and 50 (50.5 %) women. The control subgroup of the clinical group 1 (surgical treatment) consisted of 41 patients with an average age of 51.4 years (from 21 to 89 years). There were 17 (41.5 %) men and 24 (58.5 %) women. The main subgroup of the clinical group 2 (conservative treatment) consisted of 29 patients with an average age of 51.2 years (from 21 to 88 years). There were 5 (17.2 %) men and 24 (82.8 %) women. The control subgroup of the clinical group 2 (conservative treatment) consisted of 25 patients with an average age of 52.9 years (from 21 to 87 years). There were 4 (16.0 %) men and 21 (84.5 %) women. The fractures were rated according to the AO classification: type 13A – 15 (7.7 %) individuals, type 13B - 40 (20.7 %) subjects and type 13C – 139 (71.6 %) patients. Results The mean duration of follow-up was 39.0 ± 1.0 months (7 to 48 months from injury). The mean range of motion in the elbow joint was 110.5 ± 1.2º (50º to 140º), the mean score on the Mayo clinic scale was 81.7 ± 0.9 (45 to 100), and on the Score Scale was 62.7 ± 0.7 (38 to 76). Excellent functional results were obtained in 95 (49.0 %) patients (p < 0.001), good – in 41 (21.2 %) (p < 0.001), fair – in 28 (14.4 %) (p < 0.001) and poor – in 30 (15.5 %) patients (p < 0.001). Conclusion Differentiated treatment tactics in humeral condyle fractures permitted to obtain positive results in 92.2 % (p < 0.001) of the patients in comparison with 89.4 % (p < 0.001) of the control group and to decrease the number of complications by 20.2 % (p < 0.001).