Table 1.
Radiographic measurements obtained using the best available lateral and AP radiographic images taken of the patient in the emergency room on night of presentation.
| Code | Image used to measure | Description of measurement | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Best lateral view | The distance from the anterior edge of the shaft to the anterior edge of the fracture fragment | In millimeters |
| L2 | Best lateral view | The distance from the posterior edge of the shaft to the posterior edge of the fracture fragment | In millimeters |
| L3 | Best lateral view | Diameter of the proximal (shaft) fragment at the fracture edge | In millimeters |
| L4 | Best lateral view | Diameter of the distal fragment at the fracture edge | In millimeters |
| L5 | Best lateral view | Midshaft bone diameter | In millimeters |
| L6 | Best lateral view | Distance of capitellum from anterior humeral line | In millimeters |
| L7 | Best lateral view | Distance from anterior humeral “spike” to skin edge | In millimeters |
| L8 | Best lateral view | Whether or not the distal fragment was “off ended”, that is, whether both the anterior and posterior cortices of the distal fragment lie behind the posterior cortex of the proximal shaft | Categorical |
| AP1 | Best AP view | The distance from the medial edge of the shaft to the medial edge of the fracture fragment | In millimeters |
| AP2 | Best AP view | The distance from the lateral edge of the shaft to the lateral edge of the fracture fragment | In millimeters |
| AP3 | Best AP view | Diameter of the proximal (shaft) fragment at the fracture edge | In millimeters |
| AP4 | Best AP view | The diameter of the distal fragment at the fracture edge | In millimeters |
| G | Both AP and lateral views | Each fracture was assessed for a global category based on one of the following: (1) posteromedial, (2) posterolateral, (3) not significantly displaced on AP view, (4) directly posterior, (5) rotational not reflected above, (6) other than as above, or (7) cannot tell or radiographs unavailable | categorical |
| MAPL | Both AP and lateral views | Maximum of L1, L2, AP1, AP2 | In millimeters |
AP: anterior–posterior; MAPL: maximum displacement on the anterior posterior or lateral view.