BICONDYLAR INTRAARTICULAR FRACTURES OF THE DISTAL HUMERUS IN ADULTS

Bicondylar intraarticular fractures of the distal humerus, because of their rarity and often associated significant displacement, comminutio n, and osteopenia, present the orthopedist with a difficult injury to reliably treat successfully. As with any displaced intraarticular frac ture, the principles of anatomic restoration of the articular surface, stable fixation, and early motion are the optimal treatment goals. To obtain reproducible results, an established treatment protocol is req uired and is described in detail here. The average excellent-to-good r esults with surgical treatment for Type C fractures (''T'' or ''Y'' bi condylar fractures) is 75% (range, 65-100%). Complications include het erotopic ossification (4%), infection (4%), ulnar nerve palsy (7%), fa ilure of fixation (5%), and non-union (2%).