Medial Epicondyle Fracture in Children and Its Association with Increased Carrying Angle

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the injury mechanism of medial epicondylar fractures in children and adolescents and its association with increased carrying angle (CA) as a predisposing factor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 37 patients with medial epicondylar fractures who were surgically treated at our institution. Medical records and plain radiographs were reviewed to determine the mechanism of injury and the humerus-elbow-wrist angle (HEWA) and CA of the uninjured arm. To evaluate the effect of coronal alignment on specific fracture type, we compared the CA and HEWA of the 23 patients with medial epicondylar fracture who were injured by falling onto an outstretched hand (group I) with age- and sex-matched controls of 23 patients who had sustained extension-type supracondylar fractures (group II). RESULTS: The mean age at injury was 11.7 ± 2.8 years (range, 5 to 16 years). Of the 37 patients, 23 (62.2%) recalled the injury mechanism as falling onto an outstretched hand and 10 patients (27.0%) were injured while arm wrestling, and in one patient (2.7%), the injury was associated with elbow dislocation. In the case-matched analysis, the mean HEWA of group I was 13.1 ± 2.8° (range, 7.1° to 19.8°) and the mean CA was 17.7 ± 2.7° (range, 13.0° to 22.2°). These angles were significantly increased in group I (p=0.003 and p=0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Falling onto an outstretched hand is the most common injury mechanism in patients with medial epicondylar fractures, and these fractures are associated with an increased CA.