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Documentation of Associated Injuries Occurring With Radial Head Fracture

  • Original Article
  • Upper Extremity
  • Published:
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research

Abstract

We believe a better way is needed to accurately describe the spectrum of associated injuries that commonly occur in conjunction with a radial head fracture. A review of our institution’s experience with 333 radial head fractures from 1997 to 2002 documented 88 (26%) associated injuries. Based on this clinical experience, our goal was to develop an accurate and comprehensive description of associated injuries. A shorthand suffix method first recognizes the type of radial head fracture with the traditional Mason classification, followed by abbreviations designating the articular injuries, coronoid (c) and olecranon (o), and the ligamentous injuries, lateral collateral ligament (l), medial collateral ligament (m), and distal radioulnar joint (d). The proposed system offers a logical and reproducible (98%) extension of the current Mason fracture classification to document the presence of additional articular and ligamentous injuries. This provides an opportunity to standardize the communication of fracture type with further details of other injuries that ultimately can help with better understanding of treatment outcome based on the precise injury complex.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge William S. Harmsen, MS, from the Mayo Clinic, Department of Statistics, Department of Health Science, for assistance in the evaluation of the data collected in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University Hospital Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Roger P. van Riet MD, PhD

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Bernard F. Morrey MD

Authors
  1. Roger P. van Riet MD, PhD
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  2. Bernard F. Morrey MD
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Correspondence to Bernard F. Morrey MD.

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Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent for participation in the study was obtained.

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van Riet, R.P., Morrey, B.F. Documentation of Associated Injuries Occurring With Radial Head Fracture. Clin Orthop Relat Res 466, 130–134 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-007-0064-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-007-0064-8

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