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Elbow plica syndrome: presenting with elbow locking in a pediatric patient

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Abstract

This case report is of a symptomatic posterior-lateral elbow plica in a child who presented with elbow locking. MR images demonstrated thickening of a posterior-lateral plica between the radius and capitellum of the elbow. Surgery confirmed a thickened and inflamed posterior-lateral plica, which was resected with subsequent improvement of the child’s symptoms. This case shows the clinical importance of identifying thickening of posterior-lateral plicae in children and suggesting the diagnosis of plica syndrome, an entity that has not been previously reported in children in the radiologic literature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45229-3039, USA

    Arthur B. Meyers, Hee Kyung Kim & Kathleen H. Emery

  2. Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin/Medical College of Wisconsin, 9000 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA

    Arthur B. Meyers

Authors
  1. Arthur B. Meyers
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  2. Hee Kyung Kim
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  3. Kathleen H. Emery
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hee Kyung Kim.

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Meyers, A.B., Kim, H.K. & Emery, K.H. Elbow plica syndrome: presenting with elbow locking in a pediatric patient. Pediatr Radiol 42, 1263–1266 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-012-2407-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-012-2407-1

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