title: The surgical management of severely displaced supracondylar fracture of the humerus in childhood.
abstract: A total of 28 children with severely displaced supracondylar fractures of the humerus were operated between January 1997 and December 2001 using the posterior approach raising a tongue of triceps and stabilisation of the fractures with two crossed Kirschner wires. All the supracondylar humeral fractures were extension type. The mean age was 6.9 years with male/female ratio 1.5:1. Fall at home accounted for 85.7% of the cases while 67.9% presented with injury to the left elbow. In 92.9% of the children the triceps muscle power was grade 5, 71.4% could flex the elbow joint beyond 120 angle and only 10.7% had 15 degrees of extension lag at the elbow joint at six months. All had within normal carrying angle with 64.3% having carrying angle between 0 degrees - 10 degrees. The scar was cosmetically acceptable in 27 patients (96.4% ) at six-months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, and University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: S O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Ogunlade
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Alonge
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Omololu
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Salawu
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006810:Humeral Fractures / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007223:Infant; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular