Outcomes for Pediatric Supracondylar Humerus Fractures Treated by Orthopaedic Surgeons with and without Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship Training

Abstract

This retrospective chart review study evaluated the outcomes of pediatric supracondylar humerus fractures treated by orthopaedic surgeons with and without pediatric orthopaedic fellowship training. The outcomes evaluated included the Flynn criteria1, radiographic measurements, and complication rates. The radiographic measurements used were the anterior humeral line, ulnohumeral angle, and Baumann’s angle which were used to determine the carrying angle, presence of deformity, and degree of healing accomplished. Patients age zero to sixteen years, treated for a supracondylar humerus fracture between 8/1/2010 – 12/31/2017 with adequate radiographs and documentation in the medical record available were included. It was determined that there was not a large enough sample size to determine significance between outcomes between general orthopaedic surgeons and pediatric fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeons, but the data collected was used to extrapolate results that suggest that there is no difference in outcomes.