A lateral radiograph of a fracture of the head of the radius typically demonstrates the secondary phenomenon of this injury. When the bone is fractured, fluid fills the synovial cavity, elevating the small pad of fat within the coronoid and olecranon fossae. These fat pads appear as areas of lucency on the lateral radiograph—the “fat pad” sign. This radiological finding is useful because fracture of the head of the radius is not always clearly visible. If there is an appropriate clinical history, tenderness around the head of the radius, and a positive fat pad sign, a fracture can be inferred clinically even if no fracture can be identified on the radiograph, and appropriate treatment can be instituted.
In the clinic
It is not uncommon for people who are involved in sports such as golf and tennis to develop an overuse strain of the origins of the flexor and extensor muscles of the forearm. The pain is typically around the epicondyles and usually resolves after rest and physical therapy. It may also be treated with injection of the patient’s own plasma, rich in platelets, into the tendon to promote tendon healing and repair. If pain and inflammation persist, surgical division of the extensor or flexor origin from the bone may be necessary. Typically, in tennis players this pain occurs on the lateral epicondyle and common extensor origin (tennis elbow), whereas in golfers it occurs on the medial epicondyle and common flexor origin.
In the clinic
Osteoarthritis is extremely common and is usually most severe in the dominant limb. From time to time an arthritic elbow may undergo such degenerative change that small bone fragments appear in the articular cavity. Given the relatively small joint space, these fragments can result in an appreciable reduction in flexion and extension, and typically lodge within the olecranon and coronoid fossae.
In the clinic
Ulnar nerve injury at the elbow
Posterior to the medial epicondyle of the humerus the ulnar nerve is bound in a fibro-osseous tunnel (the cubital tunnel) by a retinaculum. Older patients may develop degenerative changes within this tunnel, which compresses the ulnar nerve when flexed. The repeated action of flexion and extension of the elbow may cause local nerve damage, resulting in impaired function of the ulnar nerve. Accessory muscles and localized neuritis in this region secondary to direct trauma may also produce ulnar nerve damage (Fig. 7.76).
In the clinic
Construction of a dialysis fistula
Many patients throughout the world require renal dialysis for kidney failure. The patient’s blood is filtered and cleaned by the dialysis machine. Blood therefore has to be taken from patients into the filtering device and then returned to them. This process of dialysis occurs over many hours and requires considerable flow rates of 250–500 mL per minute. To enable such large volumes of blood to be removed from and returned to the body, the blood is taken from vessels that have a high flow. As no veins in the peripheral limbs have such high flow, a surgical procedure is necessary to create such a system. In most patients, the radial artery is anastomosed (joined) to the cephalic vein (Fig. 7.78) at the wrist, or the brachial artery is anastomosed to the cephalic vein at the elbow. Some surgeons place an arterial graft between these vessels.
After six weeks, the veins increase in size in response to their arterial blood flow and are amenable to direct cannulation or dialysis.
In the clinic
Fractures of the radius and ulna
The radius and ulna are attached to the humerus proximally and the carpal bones distally by a complex series of ligaments. Although the bones are separate, they behave as one. When a severe injury occurs to the forearm it usually involves both bones, resulting in either fracture of both bones or more commonly a fracture of one bone and a dislocation of the other. Commonly, the mechanism of injury and the age of the patient determine which of these are likely to occur.
There are three classic injuries to the radius and ulna: