Comparative Study of the Functional Outcome of Elbow Joint in Supracondylar Fractures of Children Treated With k Wire Fixation Using Lateral and Posterior Approaches

Introduction: Supracondylar fractures of the humerus are the most common elbow fracture reported in children. When closed reduction fails, open reduction and pinning will be used as a definitive procedure. In this study, we compare the functional outcome of lateral and posterior approaches of open reduction and assess the range of elbow movements and carrying angle by using Flynn's criteria. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted on 30 children with supracondylar fracture of the humerus in Adichunchanagiri Hospital from a period of December 2018 to August 2020. A total of 30 children were selected for this study. Fifteen children underwent open reduction and pinning using the lateral approach (group 1) and 15 children underwent open reduction and pinning using the posterior approach (group 2) and all were followed up for six months. Functional outcome was assessed at the end of six months using Flynn's criteria. Results: There were 20 boys and 10 girls in the study group. The mean age was 9.43 ± 1.69 years. The majority of children sustained injury due to falls on an outstretched hand (80%). One case of pin tract infection occurred in both the study groups. One patient had a superficial infection (6.7%) with the lateral approach, whereas two patients had a superficial infection with the posterior approach (13.33%). The lateral group fared better than the posterior group in comparison using Flynn criteria. Conclusion: Lateral approach might be better than the posterior approach for unreduced supracondylar fractures necessitating open reduction and k wire fixation.