Abstract:
A 20-year-old woman presented 6 months after an initial
injury to her left elbow with pain and restricted
movements. She was diagnosed with a type I malunited
(Hahn-Steinthal) type of capitellum fracture through
radiographic studies. Classically, the treatment has been
excision of the fragment, which carries a risk of valgus
instability of the elbow and late osteoarthrosis. We
report a case of malunited type I capitellum fracture, for
which corrective osteotomy through fracture site, open
reduction and internal fixation was done 6 months
following missed trauma. At 24 months follow-up the
capitellum fracture had united and the patient has a
stable elbow and excellent range of motion. Our case
demonstrates that for type I malunited capitellum
fractures corrective osteotomy through fracture site and
internal fixation rather than excision of the fragment in
young can result in successful union and stable elbow. headless screws in young patients can result in suc-
cessful union and excellent elbow function.
