ALTERATION OF BAUMANN ANGLE BY HUMERAL POSITION - IMPLICATIONS FOR TREATMENT OF SUPRACONDYLAR HUMERUS FRACTURES

To determine the effects of limb positioning on Baumann's angle, we ma de a controlled radiographic study of a 6-year-old cadaver upper extre mity specimen. Radiographic measurement of Baumann's angle was obtaine d at 10-degrees increments of humeral rotation from 40-degrees of inte rnal rotation to 40-degrees of external rotation. These measurements w ere obtained with the humerus parallel to the x-ray cassette and with the humerus flexed 30-degrees from the cassette. Measurement of Bauman n's angle with radiographs obtained with the humerus parallel to the x -ray cassette was associated with less variation in the measured angle (6-degrees of change for every 10-degrees of rotation). The relevance of these findings in management of supracondylar fractures is discuss ed.