Mechanical distraction for the treatment of posttraumatic stiffness of the elbow in children and adolescents. Surgical technique.

Background: Elbow contracture is a recognized sequela of elbow injuries in children and adolescents, but previous studies of operative treatment with formal capsular release have demonstrated unpredictable outcomes and unfavorable results.

Methods: Over a period of five years, fourteen children and adolescents with a mean age of fourteen years who had posttraumatic stiffness of the elbow were managed according to a prospective protocol. Eleven patients had undergone a mean of three previous operative procedures before the index operation.

Treatment of bilateral elbow dislocation using external fixation with motion capacity: a report of 2 cases.

Bilateral elbow dislocation is a rare injury and only 11 cases are described in the literature, including 8 patients with isolated ligamentous and 3 patients with an additional osseous injury. We present 2 cases of bilateral posterior elbow dislocations treated with a bilateral hinged elbow fixator with motion capacity to allow for early physiotherapy. Both patients had a high-energy trauma with one who fell off a ladder from a 5 m height and the second from a mountain bike injury during off-road biking.