Advertisement
Paper| Volume 26, ISSUE 7, P475-478, September 1995

Download started.

Ok

Treatment of traumatic effusion in the elbow joint: a prospective, randomized study of 62 consecutive patients

      This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.

      Abstract

      Sixty-two patients with post-traumatic radiologically visualized effusion in the elbow joint, apparently without bony damage, were randomized to either 1 week of immobilization in a plaster or immediately instructed in active exercises without any immobilization. They were reexamined by an arthopaedic surgeon weekly until recovery. New radiographs were taken after 1 week. Reevaluation of the radiographs by a radiologist revealed seven ‘false-positive’ effusions, i.e. neither effusion nor fracture, and 21 missed factures. All but five missed fractures, continued in the study. Thirty patients started immediate active exercises instructed by the surgeon and 27 were immobilized. The ‘active exercise’ group had a significantly shorter recovery time (one week vs two weeks, P<0.05). The presence of missed fractures did not influence the result and all patients recovered fully. Also four of the excluded patients with missed fractures recovered fully. One patient with missed fracture dropped out from follow-up. We recommend that an apparently isolated post-traumatic effusion in the elbow joint is treated with immediate active exercises followed by a clinical reexamination after one week supplemented with new radiographs if there is unsatisfactory clinical progress.
      To read this article in full you will need to make a payment

      Purchase one-time access:

      Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online access
      One-time access price info
      • For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
      • For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'

      Subscribe:

      Subscribe to Injury
      Already a print subscriber? Claim online access
      Already an online subscriber? Sign in
      Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect

      References

        • Norell H
        Roentgenologic visualization of the extracapsular fat.
        Acta Radiol. 1964; 42: 205
        • Kohn A
        Soft tissue alterations in elbow trauma.
        Am J Roentg. 1959; 82: 867
        • Eiken M
        • Lester J
        Røntgenologisk på viselige bløddelsforandringer ved albuefraktur.
        Ugeskr Loeger. 1957; 119: 184
        • Bledsoe RC
        • Izenstark JL
        Displacement of fat pads in disease and injury of the elbow.
        Radiol. 1959; 73: 717
        • Morewood DJW
        Incidence of unsuspected fractures in traumatic effusions of the elbow joint.
        Br Med J. 1987; 295: 109
        • Quinton DN
        • Finlay D
        • Butterworth R
        The elbow fat pad sign: brief report.
        J Bone Joint Surg [Br]. 1987; 69B: 844
        • Greenspan A
        • Norman A
        The radial head, capitellum view: useful technique in elbow trauma.
        Am J Roentg. 1982; 138: 1186
        • Lund B
        • Lauritzen J
        Overekstremitetens traumatologi.
        in: Hald T Stadil F Kirurgisk Kompendium. Nyt Nordisk Forlag Arnold Busk A/S, Copenhagen1987 (1866)