Bilateral olecranon fracture and radio-humeral dislocation

Abstract

Olecranon fractures constitute 10% of traumatic fractures in the upper limb however; bilateral traumatic olecranon fracture is rare. They follow a fall on a flexed elbow or strike on the point of the elbow or in patients with other systemic pathology such as Rheumatoid arthritis or sarcoidosis. Bilateral fractures with posterior radio humeral dislocation are even rarer and offer a management dilemma. We report one case of traumatic bilateral olecranon fractures with posterior radio-humeral dislocation without any concomitant systemic disease. After imaging studies, the olecranon fracture was classified using Mayo classification and the patient was prepared for surgery under general anesthesia. Tension band wiring fixation was performed on the left oblique olecranon fracture and contoured reconstruction  plate fixation was performed on the right comminuted fracture. The recovery was uneventful and through intense physiotherapy the elbow function was quite impressive. The patient was able to perform daily living activities on his own having achieved Mayo elbow score (MES) of 90 on the right and 85 on the left.

Keywords: Bilateral Olecranon fracture, Radio-Humeral dislocation, Mayo classification