Results of arthroscopic fixation of Mason type II radial head fractures using Kirschner wires

The goals of this study are to report an arthroscopic technique for the treatment of Mason type II radial head fractures using Kirschner wires (K-wires), and investigate the feasibility and evaluate the results. We retrospectively review 18 cases of closed Mason type II radial head fractures treated in our institution from August 2010 to May 2015. There were 13 males and 5 females with an average age of 30.6 (17–45 years) years. Injuries were caused by falling in 8 cases, by traffic accidents in 5 cases, and by sports in 5 cases. The average time from injury to admission was 3.9 days (1–11 days). All radial head fractures were confirmed on x-ray and computed tomography. The fracture fragments were fixed with percutaneous K-wires under arthroscopy. All surgical wounds healed with primary closure, and no complication occurred, such as neurovascular injury, infection, or hardware failure. All patients were followed up for a mean period of 19 months (range: 14–29 months). Bone union was achieved for all patients with a mean time of 11 weeks. At final follow-up, range of motion of the elbow has no significant difference in comparison to the uninjured side. The mean Visual Analog Scale for these patients was 1.7 (range 0–3). According to the Broberg-Morrey score, there were 7 excellent, 9 good, 2 fair, and 0 poor results (with good or excellent results in 89%). Mayo elbow performance score and the disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand score were significantly improved postoperatively. The present study demonstrates that arthroscopic fixation of Mason type II radial head fractures using K-wires provided a stable fixation with good clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.