Elbow Fractures
A 45-year-old man falls directly onto his elbow while cycling. He presents with posterior elbow pain, swelling, and inability to extend the elbow against gravity. Examination reveals a palpable gap at the olecranon with the arm held in flexion. There is no neurovascular deficit. Radiographs show a transverse olecranon fracture displaced 8mm with the proximal fragment pulled superiorly. Regarding olecranon fractures:
Mark each as TRUE or FALSE
The olecranon is the insertion of the triceps mechanism and forms the posterior buttress of the grea...
Tension band wiring (TBW) converts the tensile force of the triceps into a compressive force across ...
Non-operative treatment is preferred for all displaced olecranon fractures; tension band wiring is b...
Plate fixation is indicated for comminuted fractures, oblique fracture patterns, fracture-dislocatio...
Complications include hardware prominence requiring removal (up to 80% for TBW), loss of fixation, n...
Answer the questions to see explanations
Click T (True) or F (False) for each option