Posttraumatic immobilization in flexion of a congenital valgus elbow and cubital tunnel syndrome—case report
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Tommaso Tufo; Francesco Doglietto; Liverana Lauretti; Eduardo Fernandez; Federico Di Rocco; Alessandro Ciampini
- Source
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore-IRIS
- Subject
- Adult
musculoskeletal diseases
Humeral Fractures
medicine.medical_specialty
Cubitus valgus
Iatrogenic cubital tunnel syndrome
Peripheral nerve
Supracondylar fracture
Ulnar entrapment
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
Elbow Joint
Female
Fracture Fixation
Humans
Joint Dislocations
Settore MED/27 - NEUROCHIRURGIA
Elbow
Anterior transposition
macromolecular substances
Cubital tunnel syndrome
medicine
Deformity
Ulnar nerve entrapment
Ulnar nerve
biology
business.industry
musculoskeletal system
medicine.disease
biology.organism_classification
Surgery
body regions
Valgus
medicine.anatomical_structure
ulnar nerve
Neurology (clinical)
medicine.symptom
business
- Language
- ISSN
- 0090-3019
Background Elbow trauma, cubitus valgus deformity, and prolonged flexion of the elbow are recognized risk factors for ulnar nerve entrapment. Case Description The 3 conditions coincided in the present case. In fact, a 36-year-old woman had a bilateral severe congenital cubitus valgus. A trauma of the right elbow caused luxation and supracondylar humeral fracture for which the joint was fixed in flexion at 90° for 1 month. The patient developed a severe ulnar nerve entrapment syndrome that did not respond to several months of physiotherapy and active mobilization of the elbow. The symptoms recovered after surgical decompression and anterior subcutaneous transposition of the nerve. Conclusions The present case illustrates how the development of a cubital tunnel syndrome should be considered as the expected outcome of a long immobilization in flexion of an elbow with a severe cubitus valgus. A simple subcutaneous anterior transposition of the ulnar nerve might be recommended before a long immobilization of a cubitus valgus elbow is performed.