Frequency Distribution of Elbow Fractures in Children Aged 2 to 18 Years Referring to Emergency Departments of Kashani and Alzahra Hospitals in Isfahan City, Iran, during the Years 2014-2017

Abstract

Background: Elbow fracture, especially supracondylar fracture, is one of the most common fractures in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of elbow fractures in children aged 2 to 18 years. Methods: In this study, 340 patients with elbow fracture aged 2 to 18 years who referred to emergency departments of Kashani and Alzahra hospitals in Isfahan City, Iran, during the period from 2014 to 2017 were evaluated. Age, sex, type of fracture, season of injury, mechanism of injury, and vascular and neurological damages were studied. Findings: 340 patients with an average age of 7.88 ± 4.94 years participated in the study. Most of the patients aged under 4 years (31.8%), or 4 to 8 years (31.5%), while 75.6% of the patients were boys. The most common type of fracture was supracondylar (65%), the most common season of injury was spring (38.5%), and the most common injury mechanism was falling (87.6%). Among the injuries followed fractures, 10% were vascular and 16.5% were neuronal damages. Conclusion: Considering that the elbow fracture, especially supracondylar type, is more common in boys, and in the age group of 4 to 8 years, it usually occurs with falling, and accompanies by vascular and neurological damages. Its proper control and treatment can prevent subsequent damages.

Keywords

• Bone fractures
• Elbow
• Children
• Prevalence