Frontiers in Surgery (Jul 2024)

Shear fractures of the capitellum in children: a case report and narrative review

  • Jean-Marc Pilotto,
  • Silvia Valisena,
  • Silvia Valisena,
  • Giacomo De Marco,
  • Oscar Vazquez,
  • Vincenzo De Rosa,
  • Mario Mendoza Sagaon,
  • Geraldo De Coulon,
  • Romain Dayer,
  • Dimitri Ceroni,
  • Christina Steiger

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fsurg.2024.1407577
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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The shear fractures of the capitellum are rare fractures in the pediatric population. Their diagnosis is challenging because of the high cartilaginous component of the growing elbow, requiring a high level of clinical suspicion especially in the case of small osteochondral or chondral fragments. The literature on capitellar shear fractures is mainly represented by case reports, which provides a patchy view of the topic. For this reason, we aimed to draw a narrative review presenting the available management strategies and their outcomes, and present two cases treated in our institution.

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