Clinical study of outcomes of supracondylar osteotomy in correcting cubitus varus deformities

Abstract

Background: It is the most frequent complication of treatment for supracondylar humeral fractures in children. Although cubitus varus has been conventionally described as a cosmetic deformity with little functional significance, Supracondylar fracture of humerus is one of the commonest fractures sustained by children. It is one of the difficult fractures to treat due complications like malunion, neurovascular injury, ischemic contracture. Much attention paid to prevention of malunion by anatomical reduction either by closed or open method. The present study evaluates a technique of correction of post-traumatic cubitus varus in children with a laterally based closing-wedge osteotomy of the distal humerus with medial displacement of distal fragment, through a lateral approach and fixation with percutaneous Kirschner wires. Material and Methods: A Retrospective study, which was conducted in department of Orthopaedics of Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha, Haryana, India, in 42 children with cubitus varus deformity following supracondylar fracture of humerus, were treated by lateral closing wedge osteotomy with medial displacement of distal fragment and fixation with percutaneous K-wires. Out of these, 36 children who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and were available for assessment of final outcome were included in this study.