title: Terrible triad of the elbow.
abstract: The terrible triad of the elbow is a difficult injury with historically poor outcomes. Improved experience, techniques, and implants have advanced to the point where restoration of elbow stability can be expected. Careful attention to each destabilizing element of the injury pattern is essential and places high demands on the surgeon's mastery of the anatomic complexity of the elbow. Technically, the surgeon must bring every skill to bear, as soft tissue techniques, fracture repair, and joint arthroplasty are routinely required to adequately treat these complex constellations of injury.
authors.affiliation: Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA. seth.dodds@yale.edu
authors.forename: Seth D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Dodds
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fishler
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000293:injuries; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014458:Ulna Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D000092464:Elbow Injuries