OPEN DEDUCTION AND INTERNAL-FIXATION OF THE DISTAL HUMERUS - FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME IN THE ELDERLY

Objective: To examine the functional outcome of a cohort of elderly pa tients after open reduction and internal plate and screw fixation of d istal humerus fractures. Design: Retrospective review of a consecutive series of patients older than 60 years of age who underwent plate and screw fixation of a distal humerus fracture. Materials and Methods: E ighteen patients, aged 63 to 85 years (average, 71 years), underwent o pen reduction and internal fixation of a displaced distal humerus frac ture using plates and screws, Three were Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Osteo synthesefragen/Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (AO/ASIF ) type A, 2 were type B, and 13 were type C fractures, The patients we re reviewed at a minimum follow-up of 1 year after surgery. Measuremen ts and Main Results: All patients had a good or excellent clinical res ult using a standardized method of evaluation, General health status, as measured by the SF-36 Health Survey, was comparable to the publishe d norms for U.S. male and female populations of similar age. Conclusio n: Open reduction and internal fixation of the distal humerus in the e lderly can provide good clinical results, Good clinical results, howev er, do not imply good general health status.