REVIEW  PEDIATRIC UPPER LIMB FRACTURE 

Minerva Orthopedics 2021 February;72(1):24-40

DOI: 10.23736/S2784-8469.20.04051-5

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Supracondylar humerus fractures in children: state of the art in 2020

K. Patrick POWELL ¹, Kevin P. SMIDT ² ✉, Christopher D. CALDWELL ², Sebastiano MANGANO ³, Massimiliano DE PAOLIS ⁴, Max MORANDI ²

¹ Department of Orthopedics, Shriners Hospital for Children, Shreveport, LA, USA; ² Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, LA, USA; ³ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; ⁴ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sant’Orsola Polyclinic, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Supracondylar humerus fractures are one the most common orthopedic injuries seen in the pediatric population and the most common fracture about the elbow in children. Newer techniques in the evaluation and management of these traumatic injuries have caused recent controversy among pediatric orthopedic surgeons regarding optimal treatment protocols. Topics such as radiographic evaluation, management of neurovascular compromise, treatment of Gartland type II-III fractures, surgical timing, pin configuration and postoperative care protocols are currently being debated in the scientific literature. In this article, we reviewed the natural history of pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures and examine the evolving management algorithms past and present.

KEY WORDS: Fractures, bone; Elbow; Orthopedics; Humerus