The clinical efficacy of the minimally invasive treatment of Mason type II radial head fractures using intramedullary fixation with double titanium elastic nails.

Radial head fractures (RHFs) occur most frequently among all elbow fractures. Current treatments pose several limitations for the Mason type II radial head fractures. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of a new minimally invasive treatment for Mason type II radial head fractures using intramedullary fixation with double titanium elastic nails. Between January 2018 and December 2019, our group used double titanium elastic intramedullary nails as a minimally invasive treatment for 32 cases of Mason II type radial head fractures. After the treatments, we summarized and conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate the surgical operation itself, the quality of the fracture reductions, the fracture healing, and any complications. The Mayo elbow function scores (MEPS) and the visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of this approach. All the patients recovered from their surgeries without any complications. We followed all the cases for an average of 12 months. The elbow extension range of motion was 5 degrees (range: 0-15 degrees), the elbow flexion range of motion was 140 degrees (range: 135-146 degrees), and the average forearm pronation range of motion was 84.1 degrees (range: 78-90 degrees). The average forearm supination range of motion was 80.4 degrees (range: 75-85 degrees). All the fractures healed (a 100% healing rate), the MEPS score was 96.7 (range: 85-100), and the MEPS ratings of excellent and good were both 100%. The VAS pain scores ranged from 0-1. The minimally invasive treatment of Mason type II radial head fractures using intramedullary fixation with double elastic nails proved to be a simple approach with a relatively short operation time. It required only a small incision with little trauma and had few complications, so it is worth consideration for wider use.