Absorbable polyglycolide pins in fixation of displaced fractures of the radial head

✍ Scribed by E. Hirvensalo; O. Böstman; P. Rokkanen

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 889 KB
• Volume: 109
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1434-3916
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00419939

✦ Synopsis

In a prospective study 24 patients with a displaced fracture of the radial head were treated by open reduction and internal fixation using absorbable polyglycolide pins, 2 mm in diameter. All patients admitted with fractures involving a quarter or more of the radial head, whether comminuted or not, were included in the study whenever there was a displacement of 2 mm or more between the fragments. The mean follow-up time was 28 months (range 15-43 months). A postoperative redisplacement of 1-3 mm between the fragments was seen in four patients with severely comminuted fractures. A transient inflammatory reaction around the implants occurred in two cases 8-12 weeks postoperatively. The functional end-result was classified as excellent or good in 22 patients (91%). This study indicated that successful fixation of displaced fractures of the radial head can be accomplished by using absorbable pins.