title: Distal humeral fractures in adults.
abstract: Distal humeral fractures in adults are relatively uncommon injuries that require operative intervention in the majority of cases. Dual plate fixation, with placement of a separate strong plate on each column and orientation of the plates either at 90° or 180° to each other, is indicated for all adult fractures involving both columns of the distal part of the humerus. Acute total elbow arthroplasty is the preferred treatment for elderly patients with a displaced, comminuted, intra-articular distal humeral fracture that is not amenable to stable internal fixation. Displaced coronal shear fractures of the distal humeral articular surface require operative fixation, most typically via a lateral approach.
authors.affiliation: St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. aaron.nauth@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nauth
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ristevski
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Emil H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Schemitsch
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D057929:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Elbow / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D001860:Bone Plates; D001863:Bone Screws; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006810:Humeral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000092464:Elbow Injuries