RELEVANCY OF RADIOGRAPHIC FEATURES IN ELBOW FRACTURES

Purpose: To correlate radiographic and clinical findings of elbow frac tures. Material and Methods: A retrospective study was made of 110 con secutive adult elbow fractures of various types involving the humerus, the ulna, and the radius. Results: Twenty-seven fractures with radiog raphically conspicuous distortions healed. Of these only 15 had clinic al sequelae. Five had clinical sequelae without showing conspicuous ra diographic distortions after healing. Conclusion: For radiographic eva luation and classification purposes, it would seem to be important to note the status of the capitellum, the capitellum-trochlear plane, and the combination of a distal humerus and a proximal ulna fracture. The outcome of common olecranon fractures and injuries to the radial head would seem to depend less on a detailed radiographic description.