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13 Jul 2025
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Bilateral Elbow Injuries: Terrible Triad with Capitellum Shear Fracture


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Clinical Details

Clinical and radiological findings:  A 26-year-old male sustained bilateral elbow injuries following a skateboarding accident. Both injuries were closed with no neurovascular compromise and no clear history of dislocation events. Radiological evaluation revealed a terrible triad injury on the right elbow, consisting of a posterolateral elbow dislocation, radial head fracture, and coronoid fracture, accompanied by a capitellum shear fracture. The "double bubble" sign on X-ray indicated a coronal plane fracture of the capitellum, crucial for surgical planning and prognosis.

Preoperative Plan

Planning remarks:  The surgical plan involved a Kocher approach to address the right elbow's complex injury pattern. The plan included fixation of the coronoid fracture, capitellum shear fracture, and radial head fracture, followed by an anatomic repair of the lateral ulnar collateral ligament (LUCL) and common extensor origin.

Surgical Discussion

Patient positioning:  The patient was positioned supine on a hand table to facilitate access to the elbow structures.

Anatomical surgical approach:  A Kocher approach was utilized, exploiting the lateral soft tissue injury to access the capitellum, coronoid, and radial head. If necessary, surgical destabilization via lateral epicondyle osteotomy or soft tissue takedown was planned to improve access to the capitellum.

Operative remarks: 

The fixation sequence was critical, beginning with the coronoid fracture, which was reduced and stabilized with one screw. The capitellum fracture was repaired using bioabsorbable pins due to its thin structure. The radial head was fixed using lag technique without headless compression screws. An anatomic repair of the LUCL and common extensor origin was performed to stabilize the elbow. Consideration for medial approach to repair the medial ulnar collateral ligament (MUCL) was reserved if instability persisted.

Postoperative protocol:   Postoperative rehabilitation included early mobilization to prevent stiffness, with emphasis on maintaining elbow stability through protected range of motion exercises.

Follow up:   Not specified

Orthopaedic implants used:   Bioabsorbable pins, lag screws

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