[Application of ultrasound in the treatment of supracondylar fractures of humerus in children complicated with nerve injury].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the clinical efficacy of ultrasound in the treatment of supracondylar fractures of humerus in children complicated with nerve injury.

METHODS

Between January 2019 and January 2022, a total of 21 patients of supracondylar fracture of humerus in children with nerve injury underwent ultrasound-guided treatment. The patients ranged in age from 2 to 10 years old and included 13 boys and 8 girls. Of these patients, 13 were associated with radial nerve injury, 6 with median nerve injury, and 2 with ulnar nerve injury. Preoperative ultrasonography was used to evaluate nerve injury. According to the classification proposed by ZHU et al., typeⅠand typeⅡ fractures are treated with closed reduction and percutaneous Kirschner wire internal fixation, while type Ⅶ fractures require open exploration to assess nerve injury. The recovery of nerve function was evaluated according to the trial standard for the assessment of peripheral nerve function in the upper limb. The postoperative elbow joint function was evaluated using the Flynn score.

RESULTS

All 21 patients were followed up for a period ranging from 6 to 12 months, fracture healing time ranged from 4 to 6 weeks, while the nerve recovery period varied between 1.5 and 4.0 months. The evaluation results of nerve recovery were excellent in 20 cases, good in 1 case, fair in 0 case, and poor in 0 case. None of the children had cubitus varus or cubitus valgus. Elbow joint function Flynn score results:excellent in 20 cases, good in 1 case, fair in 0 case, poor in 0 case.

CONCLUSION

In the treatment of supracondylar fracture of humerus complicated with nerve injury, ultrasound provides a reference for the choice of treatment plan, reducing the probability of re-nerve injury, no radiation, good recovery of elbow joint function and other advantages, and the clinical effect is satisfactory.