Abstract
Fractures of the olecranon are sometimes difficult to treat. The steps for operative plate fixation of olecranon fractures consist of (1) a dorsal incision, (2) exposure using full-thickness flaps, (3) removal of hematoma from the fracture site, (4) fracture reduction, (5) provisional fixation, (6) plate application, (7) proximal fixation, (8) distal fixation, and (9) layered wound closure. Although this is generally a straightforward procedure, several specific steps may make fixation easier and improve outcomes.
Outcomes following olecranon fracture fixation are generally good. Patients should expect some loss of terminal extension and a potential for symptoms related to implant prominence, especially in slender patients. Ulnar nerve symptoms are unusual but possible.
Footnotes
Published outcomes of this procedure can be found at: J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1981;63(5):718-21, J Orthop Trauma. 2007;21(6):386-93, and J Orthop Trauma. 2001;15(8):542-8.
Disclosure: The authors indicated that no external funding was received for any aspect of this work. On the Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest forms, which are provided with the online version of the article, one or more of the authors checked “yes” to indicate that the author had a relevant financial relationship in the biomedical arena outside the submitted work and “yes” to indicate that the author had a patent and/or copyright, planned, pending, or issued, broadly relevant to this work (http://links.lww.com/JBJSEST/A199).
References
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