Late correction of malunited intercondylar humeral fractures. Intra-articular osteotomy and tricortical bone grafting.

We treated three patients with malunion after comminuted intercondylar fractures of the humerus by intra-articular derotational opening-wedge osteotomy and the insertion of a tricortical iliac bone graft. Two patients required additional operations, including interposition arthroplasty and hardware removal. A mean arc of increased motion of 65 degrees was achieved in flexion and extension in two patients and a more functional arc in the third. Although this is viewed as a salvage procedure in patients who are thought to be too young for elbow arthroplasty, none of the three patients has significant pain and none has required total elbow arthroplasty after an average follow-up of 7.6 years.