title: The biomechanical effect of radial shortening on the radiocapitellar articulation.
abstract: Repeated trauma to the radial head may be one of the causative factors in the genesis of osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum. We measured the force, contact area and pressure across the radiocapitellar articulation of the elbow before and after radial shortening osteotomy in five fresh-frozen cadaver upper limbs with loads of 45, 90 and 135 N, respectively. Measurements were made on pressure-sensitive film placed in the radiocapitellar articulation with the forearm in the supinated, neutral and pronated positions before and after radial shortening. Radial shortening significantly reduced the mean force and contact area across the radiocapitellar articulation in all positions of the forearm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0728, USA. diab@orthosurg.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diab
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Poston
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Tencer
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D010008:Osteochondritis Dissecans / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010027:Osteotomy; D011403:Pronation; D011884:Radius / Q000601:surgery*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013484:Supination