Fracture of the upper end of the ulna associated with dislocation of the head of the radius in children.

Dislocation of the head of the radius associated with fracture of the upper end of the ulna is a common elbow injury in children. The literature on diagnosis, however, is relatively limited. The injury can be misdiagnosed and consequently mismanaged. In the present series of 46 children, the age range was from 2.5 to 12 years. The dislocation of the radial head was lateral in 50% of the cases, posterolateral in 28.2%, anterolateral in 17.4%, and anterior in 4.3%. Thorough clinical and radiological examinations are essential. Simple bending of the upper end of the ulna may help to avoid missing an associated subluxation or dislocation of the radial head. The lower end of the forearm bones should be included in the roentgenographic examination; in 11 out of 46 children (26%) the dislocation of the elbow was associated with a fracture of the lower end of the ipsilateral radius and ulna. Closed reduction is the treatment of choice but if this fails, operative treatment should follow without delay. Posterior interosseous nerve palsy was noted in eight patients (17%), but recovered fully in all of the treated cases.