Radial head fracture

Case contributed by Alborz Jahangiri
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Patient fell from bike one day ago and landed on his right elbow. Pain and decreased ROM since.

Patient Data

Age: 45 years old
Gender: Male
x-ray

There is a longitudinal fracture through the radial head with involvement of the articular surface.

There is separation of an articular fragment of < 40 % of the articular surface.

The fragment is separated by < 1 mm.

No other acute or healing fracture is identified.

An elbow joint effusion is evident. The articular surfaces otherwise appear intact.

The alignment is anatomical. No soft tissue calcification is identified. 

Case Discussion

A CT study may be indicated to further evaluate the radial articular surface.

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.