Bilateral isolated olecranon fractures after trauma: Report of two cases

Abstract

Olecranon fractures represent approximately 10% of all fractures around the elbow in adults. Olecranon fractures occur by a fall or blunt trauma on the posterior tip of elbow, or by the forces generated by triceps muscle during a fall. Olecranon fractures were seen as unilateral fractures, however bilateral olecranon fractures were seen as pathological fractures. Anatomic restoration of the articular surface, repair of the extensor mechanism and full range of motion with stability are the main goals of treatment in olecranon fractures. Operative management should be performed when there is any articular incongruity or extensor mechanism deficit. Tension band fixation, intramedullary fixation, plating and proximal fragment excision are the main operative techniques which were used for the olecranon fractures. In this study, we reported two cases of bilateral traumatic olecranon fractures in patients without any concomitant systemic disease. Tension band wiring technique was used for the treatment of bilateral olecranon fractures. We preferred transcortical tension band wiring because it serves adequate stabilization and fragment compression with minimal instrumentation. When we reviewed the literature, we could not find isolated bilateral olecranon fractures in a patient without any concomitant disease. Treatment and rehabilitation of bilateral fractures served successful results with tension band wiring as unilateral fractures.