Missed post-traumatic radial head dislocation in a three-year-old child: A case report

Abstract

In children, traumatic radial head dislocation (RHD) is usually associated with ulnar fracture or deformation as reported in a Monteggia injury or its Monteggia variant. Isolated traumatic RHD is extremely rare and exceptional. Traumatic RHD is frequently missed on initial radiographs, particularly if it is isolated. The management of missed RHD is challenging and remains controversial. We report a Case of chronic posttraumatic RHD in a three-year-old child treated with open reduction and reconstruction of the annular ligament. The child’s elbow was stable during the followup, without swelling or deformity, and the elbow function was normal. The injury of the reported case does not belong to any lesion described in the Monteggia-variant classification, which might explain the reason for missing the associated dislocation. The authors recommend urgent open reduction when a chronic RHD is diagnosed and annular ligament reconstruction, particularly when the open reduction is unstable.